FULL SCALE POLE-TO-CAR-SIDE IMPACT TESTS-RESULTS AND SIGNIFICANCE

Side impacts of cars with poles or trees have been shown to be very hazardous to the occupants, even when seat belts are worn. This paper reviews the literature which supports the view that the worst seating positions are those centred on the line of entry of the pole. It is also demonstrated that seat belts reduce, but do not remove, the risk of death or serious injury for occupants seated on the side of the car remote from the impact, even when centred on the pole. Serious head injuries are usually sustained by those who die in pole to car side impacts. The paper describes full - scale experiments performed to determine the impact speed (which was found to be very low) necessary to produce deep penetration of the car by a pole and death to centred occupants. It is concluded that some reduction in head injuries and hence fatalities would result, for the lower speed collisions, by attention to proper shaping and padding of the interior surfaces of the car, but that relocation or modification of some roadside poles and trees is essential, if improvements are to be more extensive. Modifications of the car, for example by the addition of side door reinforcement, is shown to be of little value in reducing the hazards of pole collisions. Similarly, padding the pole had little beneficial effect (A). (TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0724041524
• Corporate Authors:

  New South Wales Dept of Motor Transport, Australia

  56 Rothschild Avenue
  Rosebery, New South Wales 2018,   Australia 
• Authors:
  • LOZZI, A
  • Cutting, D
  • Herbert, D C
• Publication Date: 1980-11

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 54 p.
• Serial:
  • Publication of: New South Wales Dept of Motor Transport, Australia
  • Publisher: New South Wales Dept of Motor Transport, Australia
  • ISSN: 0314-9846

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Crash tests; Design; Fatalities; Head; Injuries; Injury severity; Location; Manual safety belts; Motor vehicles; Seats; Side crashes; Single vehicle crashes; Speed; Support poles; Test procedures; Traffic speed; Trees; Vehicle compartments; Vehicle design; Vehicle interiors; Vehicle occupants; Vehicle padding
• ITRD Terms: 1243: Car; 9011: Design (overall design); 1602: Fatality; 1648: Impact test (crash); 1377: Interior (veh); 9061: Location; 1457: Padding (safety); 3312: Pole; 1476: Safety belt; 1623: Severity (accid, injury); 1630: Side impact; 5408: Speed; 6288: Test method; 2488: Vegetation; 1715: Vehicle occupant
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Passenger Transportation; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I84: Personal Injuries; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00345484
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• ISBN: 0 7240 4152 4
• Report/Paper Numbers: Res Rpt. 6/80 Monograph, HS-032 513
• Files: HSL, ITRD, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Jan 29 1982 12:00AM