Pedestrian safety through vehicle design
In May 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that more than 270,000 pedestrians lose their lives on the world’s roads each year, accounting for 22% of the total 1.24 million road traffic deaths.[1] Despite the magnitude of the problem, most attempts at reducing pedestrian deaths had historically focused solely on education and traffic regulation. Since the 1970s, crash engineers have begun to use design principles that have proved successful in protecting car occupants to develop vehicle design concepts that reduce the likelihood of injuries to pedestrians in the event of a car-pedestrian crash, or reduce the likelihood of a car-pedestrian crash in the first place.
These involve redesigning the
Anatomy of a pedestrian crash
Many pedestrian crashes involve a forward moving car (as opposed to buses and other vehicles with a vertical hood/bonnet). In such a crash, a standing or walking pedestrian is struck and accelerated to the speed of the car and then continues forward as the car brakes to a halt. The pedestrian is impacted twice, first by the car and then by the ground, but most of the fatal injuries occur due to interaction with the car. Vehicle designers usually focus on understanding the car-pedestrian interaction, which is characterized by the following sequence of events: the vehicle bumper first contacts the
Reducing pedestrian injuries
Most pedestrian deaths occur due to the
Protecting the head
The hood of most vehicles is usually fabricated from sheet metal, which is a compliant energy absorbing structure which poses a comparatively small threat. Most serious head injuries occur when there is insufficient clearance between the hood and the stiff underlying engine components. A gap of approximately 10 cm is usually enough to allow the pedestrian’s head to have a controlled
Engineers have attempted to overcome this problem by using
Protecting the limbs
Most limb injuries occur due to a direct blow from the bumper and the leading edge of the hood. This leads to contact fractures of the
Trams
An early example can be found on trams in the form of a lifeguard which prevents pedestrians from being caught between the wheels of the leading bogie should they be hit. When a pedestrian hit the lifeguard a scoop/grille would be automatically lowered in front of the vehicle. This protects the tram against derailment as well as reducing the likelihood of the pedestrian being killed. Lifeguards were compulsory on UK trams from early in the 1900s.
See also
- Car accidents
- Driver visibility
- Euro NCAP (pedestrian safety testing)
- Motorcycle Safety
- Road safety
- Tram accident
- Pedestrian automated safety systems
References
- ^ "How to make cars less dangerous for pedestrians". BBC News. 2023-10-09. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
- ^ "How to make cars less dangerous for pedestrians". BBC News. 2023-10-09. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
- ^ "More than 270 000 pedestrians killed on roads each year: WHO calls for actions to save lives". World Health Organization (Press release). Geneva. 2 May 2013. Archived from the original on 9 October 2013.
- ^ a Hamer, M. (27 August 2005). "Stopping the slaughter of innocent pedestrians". New Scientist (2514).
- ^3 Jain, SL. (February 2004). ""Dangerous Instrumentality": The Bystander as Subject in Automobility". Cultural Anthropology. 91 (1).
- PMID 12003890.)
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ "Pedestrian Protection". Archived from the original on 20 December 2005.
- ^ Bunketorp O, Romans B, Hansson T, Aldman B, Thorngren L, Eppingen RH. "Experimental Study of a Compliant Bumper System". Proceedings of the 27th Stapp Car Crash Conference. SAE Paper No. 831623
Further reading
- Protecting pedestrians by vehicle design
- Used Car Safety Ratings - includes information on how seriously your vehicle is likely to harm other road users
- Assessment of Pedestrian Protection Afforded by Vehicles in Australia
- Pedestrian protection in vehicle impacts: Further results from the Australian New Car Assessment Program
- The Truth About Europe's Pedestrian Safety Legislation
- Keith Barry (June 8, 2021), The Hidden Danger of BIG Trucks, Consumer Reports, retrieved 2022-05-27
- SUVs, other large vehicles often hit pedestrians while turning, March 17, 2022, retrieved 2022-05-27