Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) now require frontal and side crash tests to demonstrate the required levels of occupant crash protection. These standards have reduced the numbers of deaths and injuries in frontal and side crashes. At present, there is no requirement for crash testing vehicles in rollovers. The number injuries and fatalities in rollovers has been increasing. Rollovers are the largest source of fatalities in SUV's.
One impediment to the establishment of a rollover test standard is the lack of recognized test conditions. The test conditions need to be representative of the real world rollovers that produce injuries. Rollovers are complex events that frequently involve impacts with other vehicles or fixed objects before or during the rollover. The resulting injuries may occur before, during or after the actual rollover. Consequently, safety features that offer protection during the rollover may be ineffective in preventing injuries from the other collisions that occur.
The objective of this project is to analyze accident data to determine how to classify rollover crashes according to the severity of the rollover as well as the severity of the other crash events that may occur. The resulting research will aid in determining how to best protect occupants in rollovers. It will also provide the basis for a benefits analysis of test methods that can be used to establish an improved rollover safety standard. The research was initially funded by a generous gift of the Santos Family Foundation.
The initial research under this project involved rollover testing of the C/K pickup. Click here to see a rollover test in real time. Click here to see a slow motion video of the initial dummy motion during rollover the rollover test.
Progress has been reported in the following reports and presentations. Click on the PDF icon to view the document.
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Injury Risk from Objects Impacted Before and During Rollovers, by K. Digges & A, Eigen, Paper at IRCOBI, 2006 |
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Injury Risk from Objects Impacted Before and During Rollovers by K. Digges & A, Eigen, Presentation at IRCOBI 2006 |
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Severity Measurements for Rollover Crashes, by K. Digges & A, Eigen, Paper at IRCOBI 2005 |
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Severity Measurements for Rollover Crashes, by K. Digges & A, Eigen, Presentation at IRCOBI 2005 |
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Rollover Crash Mechanisms and Injury Outcomes for Restrained Occupants by A. Eigen, NHTSA Report DOT HS 809 994, July 2005 |