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Improvements for pedestrian head protection in a car-pedestrian accident have been discussed in several countries. Test methods for evaluating head protection have been proposed, and most are sub-systems using rigid headforms with or without headskin. In those tests, HIC is used as a criterion for head protection. This paper discusses the test conditions and requirements of the headform impact test. The influence of different test conditions and their importance on head impact test requirements, were verified. The primary items cited are as follows: (1) The results of the rigid headform were similar to that of the human cadaver skull in cases without skull fractures. Consequently, the rigid headform can be used for the impactor simulating a condition without skull fracture. (2) In the cases of HIC≤1000, the force-deformation curves of the hoodtops showed similar characteristics with maximum dynamic deformations over 60mm. (3) Impactor mass affected the maximum acceleration and HIC.

This paper contains the results of 50% offset frontal collision tests which were conducted in order to analyze impact situation of ankle/foot regions during car-to-car crashes with both 50km/h running speeds. We took high-speed films of the footwell regions, and measured impact forces of Hybrid-III lower legs, three-axis accelerations of the toe-board, floor and brake pedal in the tests. In the same collision configuration, we conducted the tests under four different test conditions of driver seating situations as follows: with seatbelts + stepping on the brake pedal, with seatbelts + stepping on the accelerator pedal, without seatbelts + stepping on the brake pedal, and without seatbelts + stepping on the accelerator pedal. In this paper, we focused on motions and impact forces of lower legs, on intrusions and movements of the floor, toe-board and pedals, and on interactions with them during crashes.

In order to establish a systematic approach to the study on the injuries sustained by motorcycle riders in accidents and the assessment of protective devices fitted to motorcycles, this research develops a computer simulation model of motorcycle-to-vehicle collision model based on multibody kinematics and dynamics using MADYMO (MAthematical DYnamic MOdel). The effectiveness of the motorcycle-to-vehicle crash model is verified using data of 14 full-scale tests. Comparisons between the simulation peak head acceleration results and the full-scale crash tests data demonstrate a satisfactory agreement between them. The simulation results along with the test data indicate that the leg protectors fitted to the motorcycle can induce harmful consequences to the rider head in some configurations, regardless of their aimed protective effects on the rider’s legs. The findings obtained in this study also provide basis for further improvement of the current model.

This paper describes the risk of injury to the rider in a crash using a statistical model based on real-world accident data. We analyzed the road traffic accidents data in Los Angeles and Hanover. Logistic regression modeling technique was used to clarify the relationship among probabilities of minor, serious, fatal injury risk to the rider, and the influence of risk factors in accidents involving opposing vehicle contact point, motorcycle contact point, opposing vehicle speed, motorcycle speed, relative heading angle of impact, and helmet use. The odds ratio, which was adjusted for risk factors simultaneously, was estimated by using the developed technique, and was compared with the effects of risk factors individually. The results showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between minor and serious injuries and opposing vehicle speed, motorcycle speed and opposing vehicle contact point.

The results of biomechanical testing of the WorldSID prototype dummy are presented in this paper. The WorldSID dummy is a new, advanced Worldwide Side Impact Dummy that has the anthropometry of a mid-sized adult male. The first prototype of this dummy has been evaluated by the WorldSID Task Group against previously established corridors for its critical body regions. The response corridors are defined in the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) Technical Report 9790. The prototype is the first version of the WorldSID dummy to be built and tested. This dummy has been subjected to a rigorous program of testing to evaluate, first and foremost its biofidelity, but also its repeatability. Following this initial evaluation, any required modifications will be incorporated into a pre-production version of the WorldSID dummy so that it rates “good” to “excellent” on the ISO dummy biofidelity scale – a rating exceeding that of all current side impact dummies.