Es wird über einen Kongress zur Gestaltung von Verkehrssicherheitskampagnen berichtet. Ziel dieses Kongresses war es, im europäischen Vergleich Stellenwert und Wirkung verschiedener Stilmittel und insbesondere die Vor- und Nachteile der Konfrontation als Instrument von Kampagnen herauszuarbeiten. Der Kongress bestätigte die verkehrspolitische These, dass es in der Verkehrssicherheitsarbeit keine für alle Staaten richtigen Konzepte für Erziehung und Aufklärung geben kann.
In recent years considerable progress in active and passive safety of road vehicles has been made. The road traffic of today is much safer than in the past. A current vehicle has a lot more safety elements resulting in an improved inner and outer technique. In most European countries the number of fatalities is decreasing despite growing traffic and road usage. Nevertheless, the number of casualties in road traffic accidents is high enough, thus more progress is needed if the number of fatalities is to be reduced by 50%, as postulated by the European Commission for the year 2010. In order to develop countermeasures and further possibilities for injury prevention, it is increasingly important to have accident data available, supplying results quickly and giving the best overview across Europe. In-Depth-Data Sampling Procedures have a huge historical development, starting in the 60ies by the car manufactures, continued during the 70ies mostly by some universities mainly in England, Sweden, France and Germany, today a net of in-depth-investigation teams are working across Europe and around the world.One of the oldest teams is located at the Hannover Medical School, founded in 1973 by the German Government on behalf of the Federal Highway Research Institute Bast. It was the only team worldwide that was equipped with blue light emergency cars, working on scene in time so directly after the event and working continuously during the years, collecting 20 thousand accidents within 30 years period. Since 1999 the order is carried out in cooperation with the German car industry, which is interested and has benefit on the data too. On the basis of the new data collection, so called GIDAS (German In-Depth Accident Study), that has been run at the Technical University Dresden and the Medical University Hannover), a special tool for In-Depth-Accident Analysis was founded. It is the task of this conference to build a platform for such research based on In-Depth-Investigation. The conference is specially aimed at the area of accident data analysis in order to contribute to the harmonization of different investigation methods and accumulation of different results that does exist for different countries worldwide. Up to now no special conference did exist to deal with accident data only following in the discussion for an improvement in traffic and vehicle safety. ESAR - expert symposium on accident research - should be a step forward. This first international conference is being organized by the Accident Research Unit at the Medical University Hannover jointly with the German Federal Highway Research Institute Bast and the Research Association of German Car Manufacturers FAT. The conference should be a platform for an interdisciplinary exchange of information based on the different presentations from participants around the world.
The second ESAR Conference took place at the Medical University Hannover. This year conference presents the current state of affairs of relevant research activities in the field of in-depth investigations. The first conference on ESAR (Expert Symposium on Accident Research) was established in 2004. It is planned to hold ESAR every two years. Hannover seems to be the right place for this conference concerning the fact that the first in-depth research team was found here in the year 1973 and comprehensive studies on accident analysis were spread out from here around the world continuously. This year conference topped all expectations in terms of the numbers of participants, in the variety of papers and the interdisciplinary of presenters from medical, psychological and engineering background. More than 100 delegates from all over the world, that means 13 different countries and from 4 different continents, came to Hannover, presented their results of accident investigation and discussed countermeasures for accident prevention and injury reduction. ESAR should be a platform for exchange of knowledge to find an optimized way for increase of traffic and vehicle safety by in-depth investigation and methodology. ESAR as international conference should be a platform for consideration of all nations round the world. This seems to be very important for the current situation, having high safety in the high industrial countries of Europe, US and Australia, but low safety and high injury risk in Asia and Africa.
Am 38. Erfahrungsaustausch über Erdarbeiten im Straßenbau am 7. und 8. Mai 2002 nahmen neben Vertretern des Bundesministeriums fuer Verkehr, Bau- und Wohnungswesen und der Straßenbaubehörden der Länder auch Vertreter der Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau, der DEGES, des Bundesrechnungshofes und der Deutschen Bahn AG teil. Der Erfahrungsaustausch dient dazu, Erfahrungen mit neuen Bauweisen und der Anwendung neuer Regelwerke und Prüfverfahren mitzuteilen und zu diskutieren. Schwerpunkte waren diesmal der Boden- und Grundwasserschutz im Straßenbau und Straßenbetrieb, die Vorstellung von Neuerungen im Regelwerk und Erfahrungen mit deren Anwendung sowie neue Baustoffe und Bauverfahren. Nach Informationen aus dem BMVBW und über Aktivitäten in der BASt und der FGSV wurden die gesetzlichen Grundlagen des Boden- und Grundwasserschutzes vorgestellt und eine Übersicht über den aktuellen Stand des zugehörigen Regelwerkes des Straßenbaus gegeben. Im Detail wurden die Richtlinien über die umweltverträgliche Anwendung von industriellen Nebenprodukten und RC-Baustoffen (RuA-StB 01) mit den Mitteilungen 20 der LAGA verglichen. Des Weiteren befasste man sich mit neuen Forschungsergebnissen über Bodenbelastungen an Verkehrswegen und stellte die neuen Richtlinien über bautechnische Maßnahmen an Straßen in Wasserschutzgebieten (RiStWag) vor. Zum Themenbereich Regelwerke wurden aus der Sicht des Erdbaus Betrachtungen zu den Neuerungen der RStO 01 angestellt und über die neuen Richtlinien über geotechnische Untersuchungen und geotechnische Berechnungen berichtet. Um baustoffbezogene Themen ging es bei den Erfahrungen aus dem Wasserbau über das Verhalten von geosynthetischen Tondichtungsbahnen im gequollenen Zustand, den Erkenntnissen über den Einsatz von Geokunststoffen zur Sicherung bruchgefährdeter Straßenbereiche in Altbergbau- und Subrosionsgebieten und den Einsatz von Blähton als Leichtbaustoff beim Straßenbau auf wenig tragfähigem Untergrund. Anwendungsmöglichkeiten und Grenzen ueber Bauweisen zur tiefgründigen Bodenstabilisierung im Verdrängungs- und Mischverfahren wurden in einem Überblick einschließlich der Kosten der verschiedenen Verfahren aufgezeigt. An Beispielen wurde über die Sicherung von steilen Böschungen mit Pflanzen (Lebend bewehrte Erde) und über die Sanierung einer Rutschung berichtet. Die Fachexkursion am 8. Mai führte zur Baustelle eines Abschnittes der BAB A 17 von Dresden nach Prag, die in ihrem stadtnahen Streckenabschnitt 4 Brücken und 3 Tunnel aufweist, um Wohngebiete und Kleingartenanlagen zu schützen. Der bei den Tunnelvortrieben gewonnene Syenit wird aufbereitet und auf den Baustellen wiederverwendet.
In September 2004 the first international symposium called ESAR (Expert Symposium on Accident Research) was carried out at the University of Hannover (Germany). The idea for such international conference was to bring together experts from the fields of accident investigation teams worldwide to present their results for a common audience of people from government, industry and other universities. The first conference was a really sufficient one and followed by the second symposium also at the Hannover Medical School two years later in 2006. This two year rhythm was now continued with the third conference in Hannover again in 2008. It is planned to carry out ESAR every two years also in the future. ESAR is a scientific colloquium and can be seen as a platform for exchange of information on accident research issues based on methodologies of investigation, injury mechanisms and injury assessment, accident causation and other issues of statistical accident data analysis. Representatives from authorities as well as from medical and technical institutions come together to discuss new research issues and exchange experiences on accident prevention and the complex field of accident reconstruction. Special focus was given to the target the European Union set for itself in 2000 which stipulates that within 10 years the number of person killed in road traffic accidents must be cut in half. To reach this goal, optimized measures, comprehensive research and analysis are necessary. A key hurdle comes from the European Union extension to 27 member states, each featuring different levels of traffic safety standards and different accident scenarios. Existing results from long term research projects in Europe, the USA, Australia and Japan including analyses of infrastructure, population, vehicle fleet and driver behaviour offer an excellent basis for understanding and improving countermeasures and research support needs in underdeveloped countries. ESAR's goal is to bring together researchers from all parts of the world, who will report on their methods and recommendations to improve traffic safety based on "In-Depth-Investigations" of real world accidents. These In-depth-investigations of accidents require thorough documentation and an accident data analysis on multidisciplinary levels which must be carried out immediately after it occurs. ESAR presents scientists the opportunity to present their studies on a common basis of research level.
Am 41. Erfahrungsaustausch über Erdarbeiten im Straßenbau (EAT) am 8. und 9. April 2008 nahmen neben Vertretern des Bundesministeriums für Verkehr, Bau- und Stadtentwicklung und der Straßenbaubehörden der Länder auch Vertreter der Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau, der Deutschen Bahn AG, dem Bundesrechnungshof und der DEGES teil. Der Erfahrungsaustausch dient dazu, Erfahrungen mit neuen Bauweisen und der Anwendung neuer Regelwerke und Prüfverfahren mitzuteilen und zu diskutieren. Ein Schwerpunkt des 41. EAT waren Vorträge über Regelwerke für den Einsatz von Böden und Baustoffe im Erdbau. Durch die überarbeiteten ZTV E-StB und die neu erscheinenden Technischen Lieferbedingungen für Böden und Baustoffe für den Erdbau (TL BuB E-StB) ist deren Einsatz sowohl vertragstechnisch als auch hinsichtlich ihrer Lieferung für den Bereich "Erdbau" zukünftig geregelt. In Vorträgen wurden ebenfalls unterschiedliche Aspekte der geplanten Ersatzbauverordnung des Bundes auch aus Ländersicht behandelt. Diese soll zukünftig rechtlich verbindliche Regelungen zum Einsatz von Ersatzbaustoffen, zum Beispiel Recycling-Baustoffen, insbesondere hinsichtlich der umweltrelevanten Anforderungen in technischen Bauwerken regeln. Bezüglich neuer Entwicklungen und Erfahrungen von Prüfgeräten im Erdbau wurde über ein Mittelschweres Fallgewichtsgerät zur Verdichtungskontrolle von Tragschichten und über die französische PANDA-Sonde, die eine zerstörungsfreie Verdichtungskontrolle nach Einbau aller Einbaulagen erlaubt, informiert. Die Erfahrungsberichte gaben einen Einblick über praktische Erfahrung beim Einsatz von Recycling-Baustoffen, industriellen Nebenprodukten und Glasschaumgranulat. Es wurden sowohl bewährte Baustoffe und Bauweisen und deren Anwendung in Großprojekten als auch das Erkennen von Problemen und deren Umgang bei der Verdichtung von verfestigtem Boden in Widerlagerhinterfüllungen und bei Treibmineralbildung behandelt. Positiv aufgenommen wurden Berichte von problematischen Erfahrungen. Den anschließenden regen Diskussionen konnte entnommen werden, dass auch Teilnehmer des EAT aus anderen Regionen mit ähnlichen Schwierigkeiten Erfahrungen gemacht hatten. Bei der Fachexkursion am 9. April 2008 wurde eine Recycling-Anlage für Baustoffe in Potsdam-Satzkorn besichtigt. Im Anschluss erfolgte eine Besichtigung der Baustelle des künftigen Großflughafen BBI Berlin Brandenburg International. Die fachkundige Führung mit Besichtigung des BBI-Infotowers ermöglichte einen Blick aus der Vogelperspektive über die aktuellen Erdarbeiten, die bei der anschließenden Befahrung aus nächster Nähe betrachtet werden konnten.
Am 42. Erfahrungsaustausch über Erdarbeiten im Straßenbau (EAT) am 5. und 6. Mai 2010 nahmen neben Vertretern des Bundesministeriums für Verkehr, Bau- und Stadtentwicklung und der Straßenbaubehörden der Länder auch Vertreter der Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau, der Deutschen Bahn AG und der DEGES teil. Der Erfahrungsaustausch dient dazu, Erfahrungen mit neuen Bauweisen und der Anwendung neuer Regelwerke und Prüfverfahren mitzuteilen und zu diskutieren. Der 42. EAT hatte vier verschiedene Themen-Schwerpunkte. Zum Einen "Regelwerke und Normung", es wurde die Arbeitsgruppe des CEN und deren Aufgaben bei der europäischen Normung "Erdarbeiten" vorgestellt, über die Qualitätssicherung von Geokunststoffen informiert und außerdem Neuerungen in den RAP Stra 2010 und der aktuelle Überarbeitungsstand der Richtlinien für die Straßenentwässerung (ZTV Ew, RiStWag und RAS-Ew) erläutert. Die Erfahrungsberichte gewährten Einblicke über neue Bauverfahren und Baustoffe. Es wurde der Vortrag vom 41. EAT über die Anwendung von Glasschaumgranulat als Leichtschüttung mit 2-jähriger Erfahrung fortgeführt. Ferner wurde über die Verbesserung des Verformungsverhaltens organischer Böden am Beispiel der Querung eines Moorgebietes in Brandenburg und der Überwindung eines Todeisloches beim Bau der A7 im Allgäu berichtet. Ebenfalls wurden die Vorteile und erforderlichen Einschränkungen (Risiken) der Beobachtungsmethode bei der Sicherung standsicherheitsgefährdeter Einschnittsböschungen erläutert. Ein weiteres Thema waren die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf die Straßeninfrastruktur. In verschiedenen Szenarien wurde über den Klimawandel mit Relevanz für die Straße und über Risiken von Hang- und Böschungsrutschungen durch die Zunahme von Extremwetterereignissen informiert. An drei Fallbeispielen in Baden Württemberg, Rheinland-Pfalz und Niedersachsen wurde über Böschungsrutschungen und deren Sanierungsmaßnahmen berichtet. Den letzten Schwerpunkt bildeten die Bauverträge mit funktionalen Anforderungen. Es wurde über den Funktionsbauvertrag im Bundesfernstraßenbau, die Vorstellung der ZTV-Funktion E an Hand der BAB A6 bei Nürnberg und über die ZTV Funktion Ew berichtet. Die Fachexkursion am 6. Mai 2010 führte zunächst zur Verkehrs- und Betriebszentrale Nordbayern, die eindrucksvoll über ihre Aufgabengebiete, einschließlich des verkehrstelematischen, betriebs- und tunneltechnischen Systems informierte. Anschließend wurde über weitere Details des sechsstreifigen Ausbaus der BAB A6 zwischen der AS Roth und dem AK Nürnberg-Süd informiert. Im Anschluss erfolgten unter fachkundiger Führung die Besichtigung der Erdbaumaßnahmen an der Main-Donau-Kanalbrücke und der Rückbau des Lärmschutzwalls Kornburg inklusive der Erläuterungen der unvorhergesehenen Probleme bei der Aufbereitung des alten Lärmschutzwalls.
Im Jahr 2004 fand an der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover die erste ESAR-Konferenz (Expert Symposium on Accident Research) statt. Die Idee einer internationalen Konferenz war aus der Notwendigkeit entstanden, diejenigen Experten zusammen zu bringen, die weltweit tätig sind und Verkehrsunfälle wissenschaftlich analysieren, um ihre Ergebnisse gemeinsam zu diskutieren und einem Zielpublikum von Behördenvertretern, Entwicklungsingenieuren der Automobilindustrie und anderen Wissenschaftlern darzubringen. Die durch Professor Otte initiierte und nun zum vierten Male organisierte Konferenz fand eine breite Akzeptanz und ist mittlerweile Bestandteil einer Konferenzlandschaft mit Zielvorträgen von der Fahrzeugsicherheit bis hin zur Verletzungsanalyse und den Unfallursachen. ESAR kann als wissenschaftliches Kolloquium und Plattform für einen Informationsaustausch der Unfallforscher angesehen werden, die sich speziell mit Methoden der Unfalluntersuchung, mit Verletzungsmechanismen und der Bewertung von Verletzungen, Unfallursachen und anderen Bereichen der statistischen Unfalldatenanalyse befassen. Experten aus den Bereichen der Medizin, der Verkehrspsychologie und der Technik sowie Vertreter zuständiger Behörden kommen hier zusammen, um die Erfahrungen in der Unfallprävention und der Unfallrekonstruktion zu diskutieren und um der Forschung neue Felder zu eröffnen. Neben den Belangen der Europäischen Gemeinschaft werden auch die weltweit zu registrierenden hohen Verletztenzahlen berücksichtigt. Wissenschaftliche Vorträge aus aller Welt tragen dazu bei, geeignete Maßnahmen und Methoden zur Analyse und drastischen Verringerung der Zahl der bei Verkehrsunfällen Getöteten zu entwickeln. Die Zusammensetzung des Teilnehmerkreises dieser wie früherer ESAR-Konferenzen hat längst eine über Europa hinausgreifende Internationalitaet erreicht und bietet daher einen aufschlussreichen Überblick über die verschiedenen Standards bestehender Verkehrssicherheit und unterschiedlichen Unfallszenarien und über die Anforderungen an die Unfallanalysen. Die Ergebnisse langjähriger Forschungsarbeiten in Europa, USA, Australien und asiatischen Ländern beinhalten unterschiedliche infrastrukturelle Zusammenhänge und geben Erkenntnisse über Population, Fahrzeugbestand und Fahrereigenschaften. Derartige Informationen bilden eine exzellente Basis für abzuleitende Empfehlungen und Maßnahmen für die Erhöhung der Verkehrssicherheit international.
In 2012 the fifth ESAR conference (Expert Symposium on Accident Research) was held in Hannover. ESAR is an international convention of experts, who analyze traffic accidents all over the world and discuss their results in this context, conducted at the Medizinische Hochschule Hannover every 2 years. It connected representatives of public authorities, engineers in automotive development and scientists and offers a forum with particular emphasis on In-Depth-Analyses of accident statistics and accident analyses. Special focus is placed on research on the basis of so-called "In-Depth-Accident-Investigations" [data collections at the sites of the accidents], which are characterized by extensive documentations of the sites of the accidents, of the vehicles as well as of the injuries, encompassing several scientific fields. ESAR aims at a multi-disciplinary compilation of scientific results and at discussing them on an international, scientific level. It is thus a scientific colloquium and a platform for exchanging information for all accident researchers. Experiences in accident prevention as well as in the complex field of accident reconstruction are stated and new research fields are added. Existing results of long-term research work in Europe, the US, Australia and Japan include different infrastructural correlations and give findings on population, vehicle population and driver characteristics, which offer a basis for recommendations to be derived and measures for increasing road safety.
Der Allgemeine Deutsche Automobil-Club e.V. (ADAC) und die Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen (BASt) veranstalteten am 13. Oktober 2006 in Baden-Baden das 6. Symposium "Sicher fahren in Europa". Die Fachvorträge befassten sich mit den Themenbereichen: Ansätze zu mehr Verkehrssicherheit, - Verbesserung der Fahrzeugsicherheit, - Besondere Zielgruppen. Die CD-ROM dokumentiert die Grußworte, die Referate und die Podiumsdiskussion.
In 2014 the sixth ESAR conference (Expert Symposium on Accident Research) was held in Hannover. ESAR is an international convention of experts, who analyze traffic accidents all over the world and discuss their results in this context, conducted at the Medizinische Hochschule Hannover every 2 years. It connected representatives of public authorities, engineers in automotive development and scientists and offers a forum with particular emphasis on In-Depth-Analyses of accident statistics and accident analyses. Special focus is placed on research on the basis of so-called "In-Depth-Accident-Investigations" [data collections at the sites of the accidents], which are characterized by extensive documentations of the sites of the accidents, of the vehicles as well as of the injuries, encompassing several scientific fields. ESAR aims at a multi-disciplinary compilation of scientific results and at discussing them on an international, scientific level. It is thus a scientific colloquium and a platform for exchanging information for all accident researchers. Experiences in accident prevention as well as in the complex field of accident reconstruction are stated and new research fields are added. Existing results of long-term research work in Europe, the US, Australia and Japan include different infrastructural correlations and give findings on population, vehicle population and driver characteristics, which offer a basis for recommendations to be derived and measures for increasing road safety.
Der Allgemeine Deutsche Automobil-Club e.V. (ADAC) und die Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen (BASt) veranstalteten am 15. Oktober 2009 in Baden-Baden ihr 7. Symposium \"Sicher fahren in Europa\". Nach 1991, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003 und zuletzt 2006 trafen sich auch dieses Mal wieder zahlreiche Fachleute aus Wissenschaft und Politik, Industrie, Wirtschaft und Verbänden aus dem In- und Ausland, trugen neue Forschungsergebnisse vor und erörterten aktuelle Ansätze zur Erhöhung der Verkehrssicherheit. Dabei ging es in den Referaten und Diskussionsbeiträgen und in den vier Workshops vor allem darum, die verkehrspolitischen Entwicklungen und Herausforderungen für die europäische Verkehrssicherheitsarbeit im Hinblick auf folgende Themen zu beleuchten: "Verkehrssicherheit Junger Fahrer", - Das "Auto der Zukunft", - "Demographischer Wandel", - "Landstraßensicherheit". Den Grundsatzreferaten folgten vertiefte Bearbeitungen in den Workshops. Die CD-ROM dokumentiert die Grußworte, Referate und Diskussionsbeiträge.
In 2016 the seventh ESAR conference (Expert Symposium on Accident Research) was held in Hannover. ESAR is an international convention of experts, who analyze traffic accidents all over the world and discuss their results in this context, conducted at the Medizinische Hochschule Hannover every 2 years. It connected representatives of public authorities, engineers in automotive development and scientists and offers a forum with particular emphasis on In-Depth-Analyses of accident statistics and accident analyses. Special focus is placed on research on the basis of so-called "In-Depth-Accident-Investigations" [data collections at the sites of the accidents], which are characterized by extensive documentations of the sites of the accidents, of the vehicles as well as of the injuries, encompassing several scientific fields. ESAR aims at a multi-disciplinary compilation of scientific results and at discussing them on an international, scientific level. It is thus a scientific colloquium and a platform for exchanging information for all accident researchers. Experiences in accident prevention as well as in the complex field of accident reconstruction are stated and new research fields are added. Existing results of long-term research work in Europe, the US, Australia and Japan include different infrastructural correlations and give findings on population, vehicle population and driver characteristics, which offer a basis for recommendations to be derived and measures for increasing road safety.
Cycling supports the independence and health of the aging population. However, elderly cyclists have an increased injury risk. The majority of injured cyclists is victim of a single-sided accident, an accident in which there is no other party involved. The aim of the project "Safe and Aware on the bicycle" is to develop guidelines for an advisory system that is useful in preventing single-sided accidents. This system is able to support the elderly cyclist; enabling the cyclist to timely adapt his cycling behaviour and improve cycling safety and comfort. For the development of such advisory system the causes of singles accidents and the wishes of the elderly cyclist must be known. First step to obtain this insight was a literature survey and an GIDAS research. Unfortunately accidentology research with GIDAS did not give the full understanding of the pre-crash situations and (especially the behaviour related) factors leading to the accident. The second step was consultation of elderly cyclist through a questionnaire (n=800), in-depth interviews (n=12) and focus group sessions (n=15). This offered complementary information and a much better understanding of the behavioural aspects. Results concern the behaviour in traffic and identify specific physical (i.e. problems looking backwards over the shoulder) and mental issues. Furthermore, the needs and wishes for support in specific cycling situations were identified. In conclusion; The GIDAS results together with the information obtained contacting the elderly cyclists enabled setting up requirements for an advisory system, which is useful in preventing single-sided accidents.
Road safety is a major preoccupation of the European Commission and the road transport industry and depends on numerous significant factors. In order to improve road safety and to plan effective safety improvement actions for truck transport, we must first identify the problems to be addressed, i.e. what are the main causes of truck accidents. The ETAC project, initiated by the European Commission and the IRU, was launched in order to set up a heavy goods vehicle accident causation study across European countries to identify future actions which could contribute to the improvement of road safety. The results will be based on a detailed analysis of truck accident data collected in seven European countries according to a common methodology which has been elaborated through numerous national and European projects. This paper describes the common methodology used to collect the information on the scene of the accident and to analyse the data so that the reconstruction of the crash events may be carried out. CEESAR proposes a methodology using its experience gained from over 10 years of accident data collection. This methodology is based on an in-depth investigation of the parameters involved in-an accident and linked to the driver, the vehicle, the road and their environment. In-depth investigation requires accident investigator presence on the scene of the accident in order to collect volatile information such as marks on the road, weather conditions, visibility, state and equipment of the vehicle, driver interview. Later, passive and active information is gathered, either at the hospital for the driver, at the garage for the vehicle or on the spot for the road geometry. A reconstruction carried out with the help of specific software and the analysis of the data collected and calculated enables the identification of the main causes of the accident and the future actions to plan in order to improve road safety as regards truck traffic.
A lack of representative European accident data to aid the development of safety policy, regulation and technological advancement is a major obstacle in the European Union. Data are needed to assess the performance of road and vehicle safety and is also needed to support the development of further actions by stakeholders. This short-paper describes the process of developing a data collection and analysis system designed to partly fill these gaps. A project team with members from 7 countries was set up to devise appropriate variable lists to collect fatal crash data under the following topic levels: accident, road environment, vehicle, and road user, using retrospective detailed police reports (n=1,300). The typical level of detail recorded was a minimum of 150 variables for each accident. The project will enable multidisciplinary information on the circumstances of fatal crashes to be interpreted to provide information on a range of causal factors and events surrounding the collisions.
In the context of the COST357 research project, the climatic conditions and requirements for protective helmets for motorcyclists have been examined. The extent to which these factors would influence motorbike handling and accidents in which motorcyclists are involved have also been examined. This project addresses how cognitive abilities of motorcyclists relate to helmet construction factors. In particular, the aspects of motorcycle driver helmets are to be parameterized in order that they may be used subsequently as a basis for future requirement profiles. The task of one working group of the COST357 project has been to analyse accident events and to identify helmet design issues which affect motorcycle drivers while wearing a helmet. This has been achieved by collating accident data across different countries recorded in the course of in-depth investigations at the site of accidents and by combining this with field studies of motorcyclists participating in traffic, but not involved in accidents. This paper presents the study methodology, database and first results of this international survey. The basis of the study has been a total of 424 interviews of motorcyclists and 134 motorcycle accidents, which were collected across Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal and Turkey and combined in a single database.
Pelvic fracture, cracking or breaking of a portion of the pelvis are extremely common injuries in the side impact collisions of motor vehicles. Due to both its shape and structural architecture, mechanics of the pelvic bone is complicated. There is a lack of knowledge regarding the dynamic behavior of the pelvis and its biomechanical tolerance under impact environment. Hence this study is aimed at the understanding of the mechanical response of the human pelvis with three-dimensional finite element (FE) models, under side impact load, applied through a structure, equivalent to a car door. The door structure was modeled, considering few layers, consisting of foam (Styrodur®, 3035 CS), plastic (UHMWPE), steel, glass and steel, putting them in series. A soft tissue layer (equivalent to fat) was also considered on the greater trochanter location. These FE models (with and without the car door structure) were analyzed with ANSYS-LS-DYNA-® dynamic finite element software to compare the effect of the car door padding system for shock absorption. It was observed that with proper combination of shock absorbing material (foam, etc.) and its thickness, the transmission of impact load to the body part (pelvis, etc.) from the outer surface of the car door could be reduced.
Description of road traffic related knee injuries in published investigations is very heterogeneous. The purpose of this study was to estimate the risk of knee injuries in real world car impacts in Germany focusing vulnerable road users (pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists) and restrained car drivers. The accident research unit analyses technical and medical data collected shortly after the accident at scene. Two different periods (years 1985-1993 and 1995-2003) were compared focusing on knee injuries (Abbreviated Injury Scale (AISKnee) 2/3). In order to determine the influences type of collision, direction and speed as well as the injury pattern and different injury scores (AIS, MAIS, ISS) were examined. 1.794 pedestrians, 742 motorcyclists, 2.728 bicyclists and 1.116 car drivers were extracted. 2% had serious ligamentous or bony injuries in relation to all injured. The risk of injury is higher for twowheelers than for pedestrians, but knee injury severity is higher for the latter group. Overall the current knee injury risk is low and significant reduced comparing both time periods (27%, p<0,0001). Severe injuries (AISKnee 2/3) were below 1%). Improved aerodynamic design of car fronts reduced the risk for severe knee injuries significantly (p=0,0015). Highest risk of injury is for motorcycle followed by pedestrians, respectively. Knee protectors could prevent injuries by reducing local forces. The classically described dashboard injury was rarely identified. The overall injury risk for knee injuries in road traffic is lower than estimated and reduced comparing both periods. The aerodynamic shape of current cars compared to older types reduced the incidence and severity of knee injuries. Further modification and optimization of the interior and exterior design could be a proper measurement. Classic described injury mechanisms were rarely identified. It seems that the AIS is still underestimating extremity injuries and their long term results.
Pedestrians represent about 20% of the overall fatalities in Europe- road traffic accidents. In this paper a methodology is proposed to understand why the numbers are so high, especially in the south of Europe and particularly in Portugal, . First a detailed statistical analysis using Ordinal Logistic Regression model (OLR) was applied to the gathered data from all Portuguese accidents with victims in the period 2010-2012. In a second stage accident reconstruction computational techniques using pedestrian biomechanical models are used to evaluate the accident conditions that lead to the injuries, such as the speed and the impact location. For biomechanical injury criterions, the AIS (Abbreviated Injury Scale), the HIC (Head Injury Criterion) and other injury criterions based on the resulting accelerations in the pedestrian's body are used. The statistical model reported that there were several predictors that significantly influenced the pedestrian injury severity in the event of a road accident, such as Pedestrian's age, Pedestrian's gender, Vehicle Design/Category or Driver's gender. The use of injury scales and biomechanical criterions in in-depth investigation of road accidents, such as AIS, can significantly improve the quality of the reconstruction process.
Whiplash injuries are characterized by the high variability of its symptoms and by the subjectivity of its diagnosis, which sometimes leads to frauds perpetrated by victims of rear-end impacts. It is estimated that whiplash injuries cost annually about 10.000 million Euros in Europe. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the dynamics of the accident in which the victim was involved in the probability of development of whiplash associated injuries. In the presented methodology, first an accident reconstruction is performed where the dynamics of the accident is determined. This is carried out using the software PC-Crash, police and insurance companies' data. Then biomechanical injuries criteria related with whiplash injuries are evaluated. For the evaluation of the probability of having whiplash injuries, the Neck Injury Criterion (NIC) of the victim and the mean acceleration of the vehicle were evaluated. Then, with medical reports, the results of the accident reconstruction are correlated with the reported injuries. Some examples are presented. The results obtained indicate that the study of the dynamics of the road accidents in which the victims were involved could be used as an auxiliary of the prognosis of whiplash injuries and is important for a precise diagnosis of this type of injuries.
Road accidents are typically analyzed to address influences of human, vehicle, and environmental (primarily infrastructure) factors. A new methodology, based on a "Venn diagram" analysis, gives a broader perspective on the probable factors, and combinations of factors, contributing both to the occurrence of a crash and to sustaining injuries in that crash. The methodology was applied to 214 accidents on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. Factors contributing to accidents and injuries were addressed. The major human factors influencing accidents on this roadway were speeding (30%) and falling asleep (29%), while injuries were primarily due to lack of seat belt use (46%). The leading infrastructure factor for injuries was impact with a roadside manmade structure (28%), and the main vehicle factor for injuries was passenger compartment intrusion (73%). This methodology can help identify effective vehicle and infrastructure-related solutions for preventing accidents and mitigating injuries in India.
In order to improve the protection of children transported in cars, within the CHILD programme (GR3D-CT2002-00791) real world road accidents are thoroughly analysed and then reconstructed in laboratory. Prior to comparing injury severities of real victims to physical parameter values measured on the dummies, the quality of the reconstructions is evaluated by experts who use their experience based on the investigation of numerous and various accidents. This paper presents a new tool aiming at better evaluating and validating accident reconstructions. It is based on statistical evaluation of vehicle deformations which gives weighing factors for every part of the car body structure finally leading to a specific Reconstruction Quality Score (RQS indicator). Furthermore, the reliability of this score, depending on the number of measured points, can be established. This tool includes a function aiming at adjusting the speed for a further reconstruction and at defining the launching speed and the pulse shape for complementary sled tests. Finally, the functions of the RQS software and database are presented.
For the avoidance of traffic accidents by means of advanced driver assistance systems the knowledge of failures and deficiencies a few seconds before the crash is of increasing importance. This information e.g. is collected in the German accident survey GIDAS by an interview derived from the ACAS methodology. However to display the whole range of accident causation factors additional information is needed on enduring factors of the system components "human", "infrastructure" and "machine". On the strategic level these accident moderating factors include long term influences such as medical preconditions or a general higher risk taking behavior as well as influences on the immediate conflict level such as an aggressive response to a perceived previous traffic conflict. This study was conducted to examine the feasibility of collecting such causation information in the scope of an in-depth accident investigation like GIDAS. Due to the comprehensive amount of information necessary to estimate the moderating factors the collection of the information is distributed to different methods. 5 cases of real world crashes have been investigated where information was collected on-scene and retrospective by interviews. The identified moderating factors of the accidents and the method for collecting the information are displayed.
Vehicle crash research at different levels is currently being conducted by several investigation groups in Spain, in some instances within various EU-funded projects. However there is a clear opportunity for increasing compatibility and maximizing usefulness, both at national and European levels, of the information collected by these groups. After reviewing on-going activities and programs in different countries, a framework for a nationwide crash investigation project is proposed: an organizational scheme is suggested as part of a future National Road Safety Strategic Plan; a map of investigation teams located in technological centres, universities and police agencies in Spain is presented; alternatives for several practical aspects such as team composition, deployment and operational budgets and project developmental stages are also discussed.