EMPIRICAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CAR SIZE, CAR WEIGHT AND CRASH INJURIES IN CAR-TO-CAR CRASHES

Relationships between car size, car weight, and severity of occupant crash injuries in car-to-car crashes are developed using a simple mathematical model to analyze real-world crash data. For vehicles using the same roads, these relationships suggest a crash-worthiness design concept for intervehicular crashes that regards increases in vehicle size as primarily protective, and increases in vehicle weight as primarily hostile, indicating the desirability of relatively sizeable but not heavy vehicles. (A)

• Corporate Authors:

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • O'Neill, B
  • Hoksch, H
  • HADDON, W
• Conference:
  • Int'l Tech Conf on Experimental Safety Vehicles
• Publication Date: 1974-6

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 362-368

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Crashes; Crashworthiness; Injuries; Mathematical models; Size; Weight
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00132087
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Maryland Asphalt Paver
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Nov 23 1976 12:00AM