ACCIDENT INJURIES AND CAR FRONT DESIGN

A first step to reduce the severity of pedestrian injury was to study the influence of the front-end shape of conventional cars on the trajectories of adult and child dummies struck by them. The following conclusions are drawn from the study: (1) The simplest and cheapest modification to existing front-end designs of cars to give an improved pedestrian trajectory on to the bonnet (hood) is to adopt a configuration which will provide optimum conditions for the adult pedestrian; (2) To pick up and retain adult and child pedestrians on the bonnet (hood) from low impact speeds upwards requires a catcher device which positively lifts the child; (3) The provision of suitable energy absorbing devices to the leading edge of the bonnet (hood) and the face of the bumper should provide additional control to all trajectories, and reduce impact severities including some of those incurred when the child is knocked down by the car.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00036870
• Corporate Authors:

  IPC Science and Technology Press Limited

  IPC House, 32 High Street
  Guildford, Surrey  England 
• Publication Date: 1976-12

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Applied Ergonomics
  • Volume: 7
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0003-6870
  • EISSN: 1872-9126
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00036870

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adolescents; Adults; Automobiles; Bumpers; Dummies; Energy absorbing materials; Injuries; Pedestrian safety; Pedestrian vehicle interface; Research; Traffic crashes; Trajectory; Vehicle design; Vehicle front end; Vehicle trajectories
• Old TRIS Terms: Energy absorbers; Energy-absorbers; Minors; Pedestrian protection
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00159706
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Engineering Index
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 12 1978 12:00AM