EFFECTS OF LIGHT TRUCK AND ROADSIDE CHARACTERISTICS ON ROLLOVER. VOLUME I: INTRODUCTION, TEST VEHICLE SELECTION, AND TESTING METHODOLOGY

The primary objectives of the project are to investigate how the risks associated with vehicle rollover are affected by the interaction of a vehicle and roadside characteristics, and to provide appropriate recommendations for the improvement of rollover safety properties of light trucks while maintaining the desirable characteristics of these vehicles. Both experimental tests and simulated results using a validated computer simulation are employed. Full scale experiments are performed on six light trucks, vans and utility vehicles, and on two automobiles selected based on accident involvement, vehicle configuration, population, and design trends. Different roadside geometries include pavement and transition from pavement onto soil and into a curb. Results from experimental tests are extensively analyzed and used to validate the Advanced Dynamic Vehicle Simulation (ADVS) which is then employed to supplement analysis of vehicle rollover and to evaluate the rollover propensities of tested vehicles. The analysis considers the different causes of vehicle rollover in each of the maneuvers performed. The development of quantitative measure to assess vehicle rollover propensity and to rank the rollover risks is also presented.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • See also Volume II (PB96-188933), Volume III (PB96-202163), Volume IV (PB96-192273), Volume V (PB96-188958), and Volume VI (PB96-188941).
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Missouri, Columbia

  1205 University Avenue
  Columbia, MO  United States  65201

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Nalecz, A G
  • Lu, Z
  • d'Entremont, K L
• Publication Date: 1994-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 125 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Light trucks; Risk assessment; Roadside; Rollover crashes; Utility vehicles; Vans; Vehicle characteristics; Vehicle safety; Vehicle tests
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00730642
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: NALECZ-UMC-0993-V1,, HS-808 408, Final Report
• Contract Numbers: DTNH22-89-C-07005
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 3 1997 12:00AM