Filtern
Erscheinungsjahr
- 2005 (98) (entfernen)
Dokumenttyp
Schlagworte
- Accident (38)
- Unfall (38)
- Conference (33)
- Konferenz (33)
- Deutschland (31)
- Germany (31)
- Forschungsbericht (23)
- Research report (22)
- Fahrzeug (21)
- Vehicle (21)
Institut
Die Bitumenalterung ist ein sehr komplizierter Prozess, dessen Verständnis durch die Zugabe von Polymeren zusätzlich erschwert wird. Bei den unmodifizierten Bitumen werden die Alterungseigenschaften normalerweise charakterisiert, indem die physikalischen Eigenschaften des Bitumens vor und nach der Alterung bestimmt werden. Nach der Alterung werden die Straßenbaubitumen härter. Dies ist im Falle von polymermodifizierten Bitumen, insbesondere PmBs mit einem hohen Polymergehalt, nicht ausreichend, da der Abbau der Polymere infolge der Alterung zu einer Herabsetzung der Bindemittelviskosität führen kann. Es sind weitere Untersuchungen im Falle von PmB, wie GPC, IR-Spektroskopie etc., notwendig. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, den Einfluss der simulierten Alterung im Labor auf die Struktur von polymeren und praxisrelevanten Eigenschaften modifizierter Bindemittel zu untersuchen. Hierfür wurden neben der simulierten Kurzzeitalterung nach RFT gemäß DIN EN 12607-3 die Langzeitalterung nach PAV (mit vorgeschalteter thermischer Beanspruchung nach RFT) und nach LT RFT (modifizierte RFT Alterung) angewendet. Die Simulation einer reinen oxidativen Alterung des Bindemittels erfolgte durch den PAV-Test ohne vorgeschaltete Kurzzeitalterung, bei e. Temperatur von 100 -°C unter Luftzufuhr und einer Beanspruchungszeit von 20 Std. Untersucht wurden insgesamt acht polymermodifizierte Bitumen: vier SBS-modifizierte Bitumen der Sorte PmB 45 A, ein thermoplastmodifizierten Bitumen der Sorte PmB 45 C und drei höher SBS-modifizierte Bitumen der Sorte PmB 40/100-65 H. Hinsichtlich der Polymerstruktur kann zwischen linearen, verzweigten und sternförmigen SBS-Polymeren unterschieden werden. Darüber hinaus besitzen zwei der untersuchten Bindemittel, ein PmB 45 und ein PmB 40/100-65 H, eine Art Vernetzung/ Kopplung zwischen Bitumenspezies und Polymeren. An allen Bindemitteln vor und nach der AIterung wurden neben den physikalischen Untersuchungen auch rheologische u. chemische Untersuchungen durchgeführt und die Kennwerte im frischen sowie im gealterten Zustand ermittelt. Während die Untersuchungen am frischen Bindemittel dessen Eigenschaften bei der Auslieferung vom Produzenten widerspiegeln, werden durch die Simulation der Kurzzeitalterung (RFT) Veränderungen in den Eigenschaften der Bindemittel während der Herstellung, Lagerung, Transport und Verarbeitung berücksichtigt. Die Simulation der Langzeitalterung umfasst solche Veränderungen, die während der Nutzungsdauer des Bindemittels in der Straße über einen Zeitraum von ca. 10 Jahren in ungünstigen Fällen auftreten können. Basierend auf diesen Resultaten kann Folgendes gesagt werden: Die Alterung der polymermodifizierten Bitumen ist auf den Abbau der im PmB enthaltenen Polymere (Abnahme des Molekulargewichtes der Polymere) einerseits und andererseits auf die Oxidation des Grundbitumens zurückzuführen. Die chemische Analyse der PmB lässt ein Ansteigen des Asphaltengehaltes, begleitet von einer Abnahme des Gesamtaromatengehaltes, in Abhängigkeit von den Alterungsbedingungen sowie eine progressive Abnahme der Molekulargewichte der Polymere erkennen. Die Veränderung der physikalischen Bindemitteleigenschaften infolge Alterung wird durch die begleitende chemische Veränderung im Bindemittel hervorgerufen. Letztere ist als Folge einer gleichzeitigen Oxidation des Grundbitumens und eines von der Polymerstruktur, und -gehalt sowie von der Art und Dauer der Beanspruchung abhängigen Polymerabbaues zu selten. Während die Oxidation des Grundbitumens die Erhöhung der Bindemittelviskosität bewirkt, kann der Abbau, dagegen zu einer Herabsetzung der Viskosität führen. Dies ist besonders bei den höher polymermodifizierten Bitumen der Fall. So wird die Verhärtung des Grundbitumens durch den Polymerabbau kompensiert. Anhand der durchgeführten physikalischen sowie chemischen Untersuchungen stellte sich die Langzeitalterung nach LT RFT als die stärkste Beanspruchung heraus. Die Langzeitalterung nach PAV mit vorgeschalteter Kurzzeitalterung RFT scheint daher praxisnaher zu sein als die Langzeitalterung nach LT RFT. Allgemein zeigten die hier untersuchten höher polymermodifizierten Bitumen ein besseres Alterungsverhalten als die PmB 45. Am alterungsbeständigsten sind sternförmige oder mit Bitumenspezies vernetzte SBS-Polymere. Hier konnte nach der aggressivsten Alterung nach LT RFT noch eine Wirkung der eingesetzten Polymere nachgewiesen werden. Inwieweit sich die Unterschiede im Alterungsverhalten der untersuchten PmB auf das Gebrauchsverhalten der damit hergestellten Asphalte auswirken, kann nur mit Performanceübungen an Asphalt selbst untersucht werden. Es wird vorgeschlagen, die Asphalteigenschaften bei hohen und bei niedrigen Gebrauchstemperaturen zu untersuchen.
Im Jahre 2002 wurden 66 Fahrbahnübergänge aus Asphalt auf 31 Brückenbauwerken, verteilt auf Landesstraßen, Bundesstraßen und Autobahnen, nach ihrem an der Belagsoberfläche sichtbaren Zustand bewertet. Die Übergänge waren zwischen sechs und acht Jahren alt und somit noch vor Einführung des hierfür gültigen Regelwerkes (ZTV-BEL-FÜ), Ausgabe 1998) eingebaut worden. Es zeigte sich bei den Landes- und Bundesstraßen ein zufriedenstellendes Ergebnis mit nur geringen Quoten an gravierenden Mängeln (jeweils ca. 8 % pro Straßenklasse). Dagegen waren bei den insgesamt 14 Übergängen in Autobahnen mit zunehmender Schwerverkehrsbelastung gravierende Mängel festzustellen. Acht Übergänge (57 %) waren in den vom Schwerverkehr benutzten Fahrstreifen entweder repariert oder gänzlich durch Deckenbau-Asphalt ersetzt worden. Die Schwerverkehrsstärken lagen bei den geschädigten Übergängen zwischen 4.400 bis 11.300 Kfz/24 h. Im Jahr 2004 wurde die Zustandserfassung an 27 Fahrbahnübergängen aus Asphalt auf 9 Brücken ausschließlich in Autobahnen fortgesetzt. Um Objekte bewerten zu können, die sowohl nach Einführung der ZTV-BEL-FÜ als auch nach Eröffnung der "Zusammenstellung der geprüften Fahrbahnübergänge aus Asphalt" eingebaut worden waren, musste auf relativ junge Übergänge mit einem Alter von 2 bis 3 Jahren zurückgegriffen werden. Als Ergebnis zeigte sich ein wesentlich günstigeres Bild als bei der Erfassung 2002, dennoch hatten 18 der Übergänge gravierende Mängel, sodass sie in den Schwerverkehrsbereichen bereits repariert werden mussten. Die Schwerverkehrsstärken auf den ausgewählten Brücken waren mit 4.200 bis 9.000 Kfz/24 h für Autobahnen nur durchschnittlich hoch. Auf stark befahrenen Autobahnen können Schwerverkehrsstärken von 15.000 Kfz/24 h und mehr auftreten. Da die Baustoffe nach Einführung der ZTV-BEL-FÜ durch die Gütesicherung eine gleichmäßige Qualität aufweisen müssten, wird vermutet, dass die in ihrer Häufigkeit nicht tolerierbaren Mängel in den Autobahnen auf Unzulänglichkeiten der Bauausführung zurückzuführen sind. Es wird empfohlen, den Einbau durch eine fachkundige Bauaufsicht überwachen zu lassen.
Seitens einiger Bundesländer wird in verstärktem Maße gefordert, zur Information von Verkehrsteilnehmern neben Wechselverkehrszeichen und Wechselwegweisern auch dynamische Verkehrsinformationstafeln mit Textinformationen zu verwenden. Dies widerspricht der bisherigen Gepflogenheit des BMVBW, aus wohlerwogenen Gründen sich beim Verkehrsmanagement der in der StVO vorgesehene Zeichengebung zu bedienen und möglichst auf Textinformationen zu verzichten. Der Wunsch, einheitliche Grundregeln für solche Anzeigetafeln aufzustellen, führte zu einem Merkblattentwurf der FGSV, dass sich im Wesentlichen auf die Anforderungen anderer europäischer Länder stützt. Das BMVBW beauftragte die Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen, optimierte Anzeigen für deutsche Autobahnen zu entwerfen. In einem begleitenden Forschungsprojekt sollten verkehrsplanerische und wahrnehmungspsychologische Aspekte beleuchtet werden. Ziel des Projektes waren die Förderung der Verkehrssicherheit und Leichtigkeit des Verkehrs, die Erschließung und Anwendung geeigneter Informationswege für die Verkehrsteilnehmer, die Vermeidung unerwünschter und uneinheitlicher Beschilderung auf Bundesfernstraßen sowie die Vermeidung der mentalen Überlastung und Verwirrung der Verkehrsteilnehmer. Die Ergebnisse des Forschungsprojektes flossen in Empfehlungen zur Gestaltung und zum Einsatz von dynamischen Tafeln ein, die in Form einer Richtlinie veröffentlicht werden sollen. Als Ergebnis des AP-Projektes liegt ein umfangreicher Schlussbericht mit folgendem Inhalt vor: - Zusammenstellung der wesentlichen rechtlichen Aspekte; - Psychologische Aspekte; - Literaturüberblick über nationale und internationale Veröffentlichungen; - Beispielsammlung realisierter Varianten moderner Textanzeigen auf Autobahnen in Deutschland und im Ausland; - Textentwurf "Dynamische Wegweiser mit integrierten Stauinformationen (dWiSta)", der auf den Ergebnissen des im Rahmen des AP-Projektes betreuten Forschungsprojektes (FE 03.352/2002) basiert; Kurzbericht des Forschungsprojektes. Das vorliegende Forschungsprojekt steht in engem thematischen Zusammenhang mit dem Forschungs- und Entwicklungsvorhaben 03.352/2002/IGB des Bundesministeriums für Verkehr, Bau- und Wohnungswesen (BMVBW) "Dynamische Verkehrsinformationstafeln", das unter diesem Titel als Heft 916 in der Schriftenreihe "Forschung Straßenbau und Straßenverkehrstechnik" des BMVBW veröffentlicht wurde.
The European Enhanced Vehicle-safety Committee (EEVC) Working Group 13 for Side Impact Protection has been developing an Interior Headform Test Procedure to complement the full-scale Side Impact Test Procedure for Europe and for the proposed IHRA test procedures. In real world accidents interior head contacts with severe head injuries still occur, which are not always observed in standard side impact tests with dummies. Thus a means is needed to encourage further progress in head protection. At the 2003 ESV-Conference EEVC Working Group 13 reported the results on Interior Headform Testing. Further research has been performed since and the test procedure has been improved. This paper gives an overview of its latest status. The paper presents new aspects which are included in the latest test procedure and the research work leading to these enhancements. One topic of improvement is the definition of the Free Motion Headform (FMH) impactor alignment procedure to provide guidelines to minimize excessive headform chin contact and to minimize potential variability. Research activities have also been carried out on the definition of reasonable approach head angles to avoid unrealistic test conditions. Further considerations have been given to the evaluation of head airbags, their potential benefits and a means of ensuring protection for occupants regardless of seating position and sitting height. The paper presents the research activities that have been made since the last ESV Conference in 2003 and the final proposal of the EEVC Headform Test Procedure.
The European Enhanced Vehicle-safety Committee wants to promote the use of more biofidelic child dummies and biomechanical based tolerance limits in regulatory and consumer testing. This study has investigated the feasibility and potential impact of Q-dummies and new injury criteria for child restraint system assessment in frontal impact. European accident statistics have been reviewed for all ECE-R44 CRS groups. For frontal impact, injury measures are recommended for the head, neck, chest and abdomen. Priority of body segment protection depends on the ECE-R44 group. The Q-dummy family is able to reflect these injuries, because of its biofidelity performance and measurement capabilities for these body segments. Currently, the Q0, Q1, Q1.5, Q3 and Q6 are available representing children of 0, 1, 1.5, 3 and 6 years old. These Q-dummies cover almost all dummy weight groups as defined in ECE-R44. Q10, representing a 10 year-old child, is under development. New child dummy injury criteria are under discussion in EEVC WG12. Therefore, the ECE-R44 criteria are assessed by comparing the existing P-dummies and new Q-dummies in ECE-R44 frontal impact sled tests. In total 300 tests covering 30 CRSs of almost all existing child seat categories are performed by 11 European organizations. From this benchmark study, it is concluded that the performance of the Q-dummy family is good with respect to repeatability of the measurement signals and the durability of the dummies. Applying ECE-R44 criteria, the first impression is that results for P- and Q-dummy are similar. For child seat evaluation the potential merits of the Q-dummy family lie in the extra measurement possibilities of these dummies and in the more biofidelic response.
Topics of this report are: Securing mobility and making mobility sustainable - Strategies for road safety: Safe behavior, Safe vehicles, Safe infrastructure, Telematics, International vehicle-engineering measures " Accident statistics " Accident research " Passive vehicle safety " Active vehicle safety " Driver assistance systems " Environmental protection through vehicle engineering.
The need for improved EU level accident information and data was identified in the EU White Paper on Transport Policy (2001)1 and detailed in the Road Safety Action Plan (2003)2. The plan specifies that the EC will develop a road safety observatory to coordinate data collection within an integrated framework.
This study is aimed to investigate the correlations of impact conditions and dynamic responses with the injuries and injury severity of child pedestrians by accident reconstruction. For this purpose, the pedestrian accident cases were selected from Sweden and Germany with detailed information about injuries, accident cars, and accident environment. The selected accident cases were reconstructed using mathematical models of pedestrian and passenger car. The pedestrian models were generated based on the height, weight, and age of the pedestrian involved in accidents. The car models were built up based on the corresponding accident car. The impact speeds in simulations were defined based on the reported data. The calculated physical quantities were analyzed to find the correlation with injury outcomes registered in the accident database. The reconstruction approaches are discussed in terms of data collection, estimating vehicle impact speeds, pedestrian moving speeds and initial posture, secondary ground impact, validity of the mathematical models, as well as impact biomechanics.
The data situation for quantifying the proportion of accidents avoided by the introduction of active safety systems is incomplete, since there is generally no data available on the accidents avoided by the technology in question. In this paper, a split-register approach is suggested and compared with the classical case-control approach known from epidemiologic applications. Provided a set of assumptions hold, which can reasonably be made in such data situations, the split register approach allows inferences on the population accident risk. For both approaches the benefits of basing the analysis on the results of a logistic regression to adjust for confounding factors are outlined. The biasing effects of violating key assumptions are discussed and the split-register approach is demonstrated using the example of the active safety system ESP with data from the German in-depth accident study GIDAS.
Active safety systems are aimed at accident prevention, hence the knowledge required for their development is different from that required for passive safety systems aimed at injury prevention. Particularly, knowledge about accident causation is required. When looking at existing accident causation data, it is argued it fails to explain in sufficient detail how and why the accidents occur. Therefore, there is a need for detailed micro-level descriptions of accident causation mechanisms, and also of methodologies suitable for creating such descriptions. One study addressing these needs is the Swedish project FICA (Factors Influencing the Causation of Accidents and Incidents), where an accident investigation methodology suitable for active safety is developed, and in-depth accident investigations following this methodology are carried out on-scene in the area of Gothenburg by a multidisciplinary team. A preliminary aggregated analysis of different cases shows that the methodology developed is adequate for pointing out common contributing factors and devising principal countermeasures.
Electronic Stability Program (ESP) aims to prevent the lateral instability of a vehicle. Linked to the braking and powertrain systems, it prevents the car from running wide on a corner or the rear from sliding out. It also helps the driver control his trajectory, without replacing him, in the case of loss of control where the driver is performing an emergency manoeuvrer (confused and exaggerated steering wheel actions). A new ESP function optimizes ESP action in curves with hard under steering (situations in which the front wheels lose grip and the vehicle slides towards the outside of the curve). A complementary feature prevents the wheels from spinning when pulling away and accelerating. The name given to the ESP system varies according to the vehicle manufacturer, but other terms include: active stability control (ASC), automotive stability management system (ASMS), dynamic stability control (DSC), vehicle dynamic control (VDC), vehicle stability control (VSC) or electronic stability Control (ESC). This paper proposes an evaluation of the effectiveness of ESP in terms of reduction of injur accidents in France. The method consists of 3 steps: - The identification, in the French National injury accident census (Gendarmerie Nationale only), of accident-involved cars for which the determination of whether or not the car was fitted with ESP is possible. A sample of 1 356 cars involved in injury accidents occurred in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 was then selected. But we had to restrict the analysis to only 588 Renault Lagunas. - The identification of accident situations for which we can determine whether or not ESP is pertinent (for example ESP is pertinent for loss of control accidents whilst it is not for cars pulling out of a junction). - The calculation, via a logistic regression, of the relative risk of being involved in an ESPpertinent accident for ESP equipped cars versus unequipped cars, divided by the relative risk of being involved in a non ESP-pertinent accident for ESP equipped cars versus unequipped cars. This relative risk is assumed to be the best estimator of ESP effectiveness. The arguments for such a method, effectiveness indicator and implicit hypothesis are presented and discussed in the paper. Based on a few assumptions, ESP is proved to be highly effective. Currently, the relative risk of being involved in an ESP pertinent accident for ESP-equipped cars is lower (-44%, although not statistically significant)rnthan for other cars.rn
The so-called "seat-belt injuries" or "seat-belt syndromes", described as 2-point seat-belt injuries, contain heavy inflection injuries of the lumbal spinal column, combined with heavy abdominal injuries as rupture of the upper intestinal bold or heavy injuries of the upper entrails. With "playing" children in the font of the car, with inappropriate plant of 3-point belts, identical injuries can occur.
Rollover scenarios in Europe
(2005)
Rollover accidents seem to be a rising problem in Europe and therefore the systematic of this accident scenario should be investigated. Based on statistical investigations on major European accident databases for different countries a series of 73 real world rollover accidents was analysed. These cases were reconstructed using PC-Crash and preliminary categorised using a modified USbased rollover classification. In a first step, the rollover events were reconstructed from the point of conflict to the vehicle- rest position. The vehicles kinematics as well as its linear and rotational velocities were derived. In a second step typical velocity characteristics as well as kinematics were identified and the events categorised according to these criteria. Based on these results four main categories were defined, covering all reconstructed accidents. This categorisation was based on mechanical parameters (rotatory and translator kinematical data of the vehicle). Significant differences can be seen for different scenarios for the "first phase of rollover".
This paper describes the methodology of In-Depth Investigation in Germany on the example of GIDAS (German In-Depth Accident Study). Since 1999 in Germany a joint project between FAT (Forschungsvereinigung Automobiltechnik or Automotive Industry Research Association) and BASt (Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen or the Federal Road Research Institute) is being carried out in Hannover and Dresden. The methodology of this project is based on a statistically orientated procedure of data sampling (sampling plan, weighting factors). The paper describes the possibilities of such in-depth investigation on the results of the offered title. The accident cases were collected randomly within GIDAS at Hannover. There are more cases existing from previous investigation started in 1985 under the same methodology. The portion of rollovers can be established at 3.7% of all accidents with casualties in the year 2000. For the study 434 cases of car accidents with rollovers are used for a detail comprehensive analysis. The accidents happened in the years 1994 to 2000 in the Hannover area. The injury distribution will report about 741 occupants with rollover accident event. The presented paper will give an overview of the accident situations following in rollover movements of cars. The distributions of injury frequencies, injury severity AIS for the whole body and for the body regions of occupants will be presented and compared to technical details like the impact speed and the deformation pattern. The speed of the car was determined at the point of rollover and on the point of accident initiency. The characteristics of the kinematics followed in a rollover movement are analyzed and the major defined types of rollover will be shown in the paper. The paper will describe the possibilities of In-Depth Investigation methods for the approach of finding countermeasures on the example of car accidents with rollover and explaining the biomechanics of injuries in rollover movements.
This paper set out to examine the possibilities for injury avoidance implications for older drivers in crashes, based on crash and injury patterns among older drivers and current trends in ageing in most western societies. A number of safety technologies were identified and discussed which have potential for improving vehicle older driver crash avoidance and crashworthiness. While there were some promising estimates available of the likely benefits of this technology for improving safety, it is evident that they need to be confirmed for older drivers, given their age-related disabilities and sensory limitations. Further research is urgently required to ensure that these technologies yield safety benefits without any disbenefits for older drivers.rn
Nowadays airbags are part of the standard equipment in almost all new cars. While airbags are saving an increasing number of people from severe injuries and death in moderate and high speed crashes, they do not completely prevent dashboard injuries. The most common mechanism in dashboard injuries is a posteriorly directed force to the proximal tibia with the knee flexed. This may occur during a motor vehicle frontal impact accident when a knee of the driver or the front-seat passenger strikes the dashboard. The posterior force can be combined with a abducting or rotational force leading to concomitant lateral or posterolateral injury. Car and airbag manufacturers therefore develop special inflatable systems to reduce the impact force in dashboard injuries. Every new inflatable system, however, has to be evaluated in out of position situations in which the system might cause injuries to certain body areas. Therefore, we investigated a new kneebag system in different critical seating positions of post mortem test subjects (PMTS). The tested knee airbag module is a folded airbag (18 litre volume) which is installed below the lower section of the instrument panel of a passenger car. Using four PMTS (2 male, 2 female, age 36"67) the following positions were tested: normal seating position, knee flexed >90 degrees and knee flexed <60 degrees in static deployment tests with direct contact. In addition a dynamic test (48.8kph, AAMA-pulse) was carried out with the PMTS belted in a normal seating position. The inflation phase and the impact of the system on the knee/lower leg were analysed by high speed videos. After the test the lower legs of the PMTS were examined by Xray and autopsy. All soft tissue injuries and bone fractures were recorded. All the tests could be evaluated. Except some superficial skin lesions in the impact area no fracture of the bones around the knee and no knee ligament and tendon injuries were observed. Neither video analysis nor autopsy of the PMTS showed any critical contact injuries caused by the inflation process of the bag. Therefore, it can be concluded that in the tested seating positions which are the most critical for the knee area the knee bag system is safe.
This paper reviews briefly the evolution of the investigation of transport accidents from the early beginnings when individual events were studied but systematic data was not collected. In the transport modes other than on the roads, accident investigation early on, even of single events, was important in introducing safety improvements. Road accidents, however, evolved enormously with the growth of car ownership without any comparable political response to the consequent deaths and injuries, equivalent to what happened with the other modes. From the 1950s data bases started to contribute to our knowledge of the epidemiology of road traffic injuries, and in-depth sample studies have contributed much to the body of knowledge in the last 30 years. However, even the basic input and output variables of a crash, its severity and the seriousness of the outcomes in terms of injuries and their consequences are not complete or agreed upon. Issues of experimental design and sampling are discussed. It is proposed that the most important area for current research to address is the effect of population variations on injury outcomes. The need for the establishment of good data bases for active safety issues is emphasised with the consequent need for better links between the research community and the police.
Traffic accidents were ranked the third among the major causes of death in Thailand. About 13,438 deaths and the death rate from traffic accident was 21.5 per 100,000 of population in 2002. The deaths and death rate varied upon the economic situation. After the economic crisis, traffic accidents were increased as well as the period of the bubble economy. In the Central region of Thailand numbers of road traffic crashes were lower than Bangkok Metropolis, but the highest in the number of deaths, death rate and serious injuries in 2002. Men aged 15"29 years old had higher numbers of deaths than men in other age groups and higher than women. Deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes were the highest in April and January, because there was a long weekend in those months. About 80 percent of road traffic crashes were caused by private car and motorcycle. In 2000 about 51 percent of traffic accidents took place on the straight way, followed by the junction and curves. In 2002, about 97 percent of road traffic crashes were caused by human factors including improper passing, speeding and disregarding to traffic signal, however, the identification of causes of traffic accident needed to improve. Drunk driving, disregarding on safety equipment usage, inefficiency of law enforcement and discontinuing of road safety programs were the deepest causes of traffic accidents. Research based information, a broad coalition of stakeholder and urban planning policy were needed to incorporate for a comprehensive road safety policy formulation and actions.
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.
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.