A recent research report released by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has stated that almost 175,000 pedestrians died on U.S roadways between 1975 and 2001. It was also noted in the report that 12% of all deaths related to motor vehicle crashes in the country are pedestrian fatalities. Most of the safety technology to date in vehicles has been applied to protect the occupants in the vehicle. What can vehicle manufacturers do to reduce pedestrian fatalities?
With research being focused on two major fronts - methods to sense the presence of pedestrians and warn drivers of their location, and ways to design vehicles that can help not only adults of various age groups to survive an impact between them and a vehicle but also children that are smaller than most adults - the technical papers in this SAE Progress in Technology Series book explore ways the automobile can be designed to help reduce fatalities and injuries when a pedestrian and vehicle meet during an impact. Some of the paper titles include:
The Virtual Stiffness Profile - A Design Methodology for Pedestrian Safety
Engineering Thermoplastic Energy Absorber Solutions for Pedestrian Impact
Pedestrian Throw Kinematics in Forward Projection Collisions
Comparison of Pedestrian Subsystem Safety Tests Using Impactors and Full-Scale Dummy Tests Head Injuries in Vehicle-Pedestrian Impact
Body Concept Design for Pedestrian Head Impact
The Development of Procedures and Equipment for European Pedestrian Impact Protection Requirements
