|
Abstract
|
27th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV): Enhanced and Equitable Vehicle Safety for All: Toward the Next 50 Years
https://www-esv.nhtsa.dot.gov/Proceedings/27/27ESV-000024.pdf
To reduce the number of traffic accidents and injuries caused by vehicles, crash safety performances for saving occupants and pedestrians have been improved, and also various advanced driver assistance systems have been introduced for a wide range of vehicles in recent years. The aim of this study was to elaborate on whether newer generations of car models have fewer casualty accidents due to such safety evolutions from a broader perspective. As for the classification of the cars, 411 models of standard passenger cars including SUVs were grouped into four categories by the year of full-model change (Mo.CY) which meant either fully remodeled or newly introduced to the Japanese market. Specifically, the classification were as follows; G1 (Generation 1): 2000-2002 Mo.CY, G2: 2003-2010, G3: 2011-2015, G4: 2016-2019.
Regarding accident data, fatal, serious, and minor injury accidents reported to the police in Japan between 2017 and 2020 were utilized. This applied in common to the four Mo.CY groups. As the evaluation index, the numbers of accidents per 100,000 vehicles registered per year were used. Then it was assessed whether there was a difference among the groups of Mo.CY, i.e., whether the newer vehicle group has fewer accidents.
This evaluation was conducted from a comprehensive viewpoint including many safety systems and crash safety performance improvements, rather than strictly assessing the effectiveness of a specific safety system. In conclusion, analyzing accident data for the same period of 2017 to 2020, the number of accidents for the newer Mo.CY groups in several types of accidents was lower than that for old ones. Regarding fatal accidents, pedestrian and single-vehicle accidents accounted for a large percentage in the G1 group. Specifically, the analysis proved that the number of fatal accidents per 100,000 registered vehicles has dramatically decreased by 55% for pedestrians, and 69% for single-vehicle accidents from G1 to G4. In addition, the casualty accidents for rear-end collisions have greatly reduced by 64% from G1 to G4. That was because the newer cars had more various safety features and better-improved passive safety performance. It was also clarified that the degrees of accident reduction depended on the severity of injury and the type of accident.
The method presented here, utilizing Japanese elaborate statistical accident data, demonstrated that it was possible to quantify the overall benefits of safety features and performances, or car safety evolution. Therefore it could lead to a better understanding of real-world performance and a way to go for a safer |