FEASIBILITY STUDY OF A ROLLOVER WARNING DEVICE FOR HEAVY TRUCKS

Vehicle rollover in accidents involving heavy truck combinations contributes substantially to injuries, fatalities and damages. Vehicle design has a significant effect on an operator's ability to sense impending rollover. Where vehicle is a tractor with two trailers, the driver may have no physical sensation of the rollover of the rear trailer until it is well past any possible recovery. This report assesses the technical feasibility of a rollover warning device (RWD) by exploring the technical factors associated with wheel liftoff and vehicle rollover, and identifying a specific approach for predicting incipient rollover. The cost of a device based on this approach is estimated and compared with the return-on-investment amount identified in the accident survey. The probable design features of the device are explored and an outline of further R&D is given to establish the performance of RWDs.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Development Centre

  Complexe Guy Favreau, 200 Dorchester Blvd West, Suite 601
  Montreal, Quebec H2Z 1X4,   Canada 
• Authors:
  • PRESTON-THOMAS, J
  • Woodrooffe, JHF
• Publication Date: 1990

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 63 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Heavy duty trucks; Personnel performance; Rollover crashes; Truck drivers; Vehicle design; Warning devices
• Old TRIS Terms: Operator performance
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00627802
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 15 1993 12:00AM