Citation

Prasad P. Stapp Car Crash J. 2008; 52: v.

Affiliation

Ford Motor Company.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Society of Automotive Engineers SAE)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

19085155

Abstract

This lecture describes the safety advancements in the automobile over the last thirty-five years and their impact on society. Today we are the safest in history in the developed economies in spite of the reduction in size, weight, and change in the mix of the vehicle fleet in response to CAFE in the USA and rising petroleum prices in other countries. We are where we are today as a result of biomechanics research that has enabled the development of restraint systems for frontal, side, and rear crash protection. The research has also led to the development of test devices, relevant crash test procedures, and acceptance criteria to evaluate the level of protection provided to vehicle occupants in various crash configurations. To introduce advanced restraints and vehicle structures at a faster pace into the fleet, major advances in predictive capabilities have taken place. The collection of accident data in representative databases has led to the prioritization of crash relevant protection systems in the case of crashes and of accident avoidance systems. The seat belt has proven to be the greatest life-saving technology and the electronic stability control has proven to be a close second. The seat belt has evolved from the simple three-point belt to the currently utilized belt system with pretensioners and load limiters, with the airbag as a supplemental restraint system. Inflatable restraints are used not only for frontal crash protection, but also for side and rollover protection. Advancement in electronics has led to adaptive restraints that were impossible thirty-five years ago. Major public safety issues have forced changes in old regulations and the enactment of new regulations. The FMVSS 208 frontal crash protection regulation has changed a few times to minimize the unintended consequences of the original passive protection standard. The Tire Pressure Monitoring System has been introduced as a result of the Firestone tire recalls. To introduce common safety test procedures and standards, the industry has entered into voluntary agreements-the most prominent being the Technical Working Group agreement for side airbags and curtains OOP (out-of-position) testing and vehicle front-end changes to improve compatibility between larger and smaller vehicles. Voluntary agreement to introduce head protection in side impacts between LTV's and cars is also being phased in. Public domain testing and the communication of vehicle crash rating (NCAP), first started by NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) in the late '70s, has proliferated around the world. Test procedures that are different than those in the regulations have been introduced by IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) in the USA. Most manufacturers are now advertising the NCAP ratings to communicate the safety of their products to customers, showing a change in consumer attitudes to safety over the years. However, despite all the advances made in the last thirty-five years, road traffic fatalities still account for nearly 100,000 fatalities annually in the developed economies of the world, and nearly 1.2-million fatalities worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), if current trends continue to 2020, road traffic accidents will be the third leading cause of death and disability in the world. Even in the developed economies, traffic accidents are projected to be the fifth leading cause of death and disability. A systems approach that blends crash protection, crash avoidance, and driver behavior modification will be required to reverse the trends projected by the WHO.

Language: en