Sonstige
Radfahrer-Schutzhelme sind ab Mitte der 70er Jahre durch Einsatz von neuen Materialien entscheidend verbessert worden. Sie bestehen heute fast immer aus einer circa 20 Millimeter dicken Schale aus geschäumtem Polystyrol, und in den meisten Fällen existiert eine zusätzliche harte Aussenschale. Für diese Helme wurden Sicherheitsstandards unter anderem in den USA und Australien erarbeitet, deren Schwerpunkte im Stoßdämpfungstest und in der Belastung der Helm-Trageeinrichtung liegen. In Anlehnung an diese Standards wurden 15 Helme des deutschen Marktes nach dem Testverfahren gemäß ECE-R22 für Motorradhelme, jedoch mit einer reduzierten Fallhöhe von 1 Meter, geprüft. Die Mehrheit der Helme erreichte maximale Verzögerungen von unter 200 Gramm, was den Zielvorstellungen vom Arbeitspapier DIN 33954 entspricht. Die Trageeinrichtungen erfüllen alle die vorgegebenen Festigkeitsanforderungen. Eine Literaturstudie zeigt große Helmtrageaktivitäten besonders in Australien, den USA und in Schweden. In diesen Ländern wurde die Helmtragequote seit vielen Jahren durch entsprechende Werbekampagnen, besonders bei Schulkindern, erheblich gesteigert. Der Abbau von psychologischen Barrieren, wie auch staatliche Unterstützung beim Kauf eines Helmes, gehörten zu den Maßnahmen. Bei einzelnen Gruppen wurden Tragequoten bis zu 30 Prozent ermittelt. Demgegenüber sind Radfahrer-Schutzhelme in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland lediglich bei sportlichen Veranstaltungen, weniger jedoch im öffentlichen Straßenverkehr auszumachen.
The purpose of this study was to analyse the actual injury situation of bicyclists regarding accidents involving more than one bicyclist. Bicyclists were included in a medical and technical analysis to create a basis for preventive measures and discovered repeating accident patterns and circumstances such as daytime, environment, helmet use rate. Technical and medical data were collected at the scene, shortly after accident. The population was compared focusing on bicycle versus bicycle accidents. Technical analysis included speed at crash, type of collision, impact angle, environment, used lane and relative velocity. Medical analysis included injury pattern and severity (AIS, ISS). Included were 578 injured bicyclists in 289 accidents from years 1999 to 2008, 61 percent were male (n=350) and 39 percent female (n=228). Sixty-seven percent ranged between 18 to 64 years of age, twelve percent each between 13 to 17 years of age and older than 65 years, eight percent between 6 to 12 years and one percent between 2 to 5 years.. Crashes took place in urban areas in 92 percent, in rural areas in 8 percent. Weather conditions were dry lanes in 97 percent and wet conditions in 3 percent. Eighty-three percent of all accidents happened during daytime, ten percent during night, and seven percent during dawn. The helmet use rate was only 7,5 percent in all involved bicyclists. The mean Maximum Abbreviated injury scale, Injury severity score was 1,31. Bicyclists are still minimally- or unprotected road users. The helmet use rate is unsatisfactorily low. The incidence of bicycle to bicycle crashes is high. Most of these accidents take place in urban areas. The level and pattern of injuries is moderate. Most of the more severe injuries occur to the head and could have been avoided by frequent helmet use.
The average CO2 concentrations relevant to a motorcyclist wearing an integral helmet were measured twenty years ago and found to be alarmingly high. The present study examined gas concentrations typically inhaled by a motorcyclist. Average concentrations of CO2 for persons (n=4) wearing integral motorcycle helmets were measured in the laboratory and the field to facilitate comparison to previous work, and similarly high average concentrations were found: above 2% when stationary, well below 1% for speeds of 50km/h or more. Detailed measurements of the time-dependent CO2 concentrations during normal inhalation showed levels of about half of the corresponding average concentrations, including 1% at standstill, though higher concentrations (4% or more) are inhaled at the beginning of each breath. Opening the visor at standstill lowered the average inhaled concentration only to about 0.8%. The oxygen deficiency is equal to the CO2 concentration, and could also contribute negatively to motorcyclist cognitive abilities.
Accidents involving two wheels vehicles represent one of the more important types of accidents in Europe. These accidents are usually not easy to reconstruct specially for the analysis of the injuries and its correlation with accident dynamics and evidences. Different methodologies are applied in this work for the reconstruction of two wheeler accidents, especially accident involving motorcycles. From the typologies of road evidences like skid marks, to the use of Pc-Crash and the use of Madymo models, different reconstruction of real accidents are presented. One of the questions that sometimes arise for legal purposes when some type of head injuries arise is if the occupant was wearing or not a helmet. The correlation of head injuries with the use of the helmet is a very important issue, therefore an important legal aspect. One of the key questions for the reconstructions that is difficult to analyze, is if the vehicle occupant, was or not, wearing the helmet. Based on the previously collected information, a generic model of a helmet was developed on CAD 3D, followed by its conversion into finite elements, all in order to perform impact tests using the Madymo software that would help improve the helmet- safety, but that also can be used as a tool in accident reconstruction.
An increased use of bicycles comes along with an increased number of bicycle accidents. Bicycle accidents are more frequent than recorded by the police. To evaluate the real number of bicycle accidents during 12 months in Münster, Germany, injuries were collected by the Police and in each emergency unit anonymously. 2,153 patients had to be treated in a hospital, nearly triple the number of accidents that were registered by the police. Beside fractures of the upper extremities with major surgery, traumatic brain injuries were the leading cause for hospital admission. Bicycle helmet use can reduce traumatic brain injuries and the related number of deaths and hospital admissions. Laws on bicycle helmet might decrease the use of bicycles and therefore the reduction of positive health benefits. Other methods of accident prevention may lead to positive effects as helmet legislation as well, while having no reduction in bicycle use.
Within the COST Action TU1101 the working group WG 1 is dealing with acceptance criteria and problems in helmet use while bicycling concerning conspicuity, thermal stress, ventilation deficits and other potential confounding. To analyze the helmet usage practice of bicyclists in Europe a questionnaire was developed in the scope of working group 1 to collect relevant information by means of a field study. The questionnaire consists of some 66 questions covering the fields of personal data of the cyclist, riding und helmet usage habits, information concerning the helmet model and the sensation of the helmet, as well as information on previous bicycle accidents. A second complementary study is conducted to analyze if the use of a bicycle helmet influences the seating geometry and the posture of cyclists when riding a bicycle and if the if the helmet vertically limits the vision. For this purpose cyclists with and without helmets were photographed in real world situations and relevant geometrical values such as the decline of the torso, the head posture of the upper vertical vision limit due to the helmet were established from the photos. The interim results of the field studies which were conducted in Germany by the Hannover Medical School are presented in this study. Some 227 questionnaires were filled out, of which 67 participants had used a helmet and 42 of the 227 participants have had a bicycle accident before. For the analysis of the riding position and posture of the cyclist over 40 pictures of riders with a helmet and over 240 pictures of riders without a helmet were measured concerning the seating geometry to describe the influence of using a bicycle helmet. Some results in summary: From the riders interviewed with the questionnaire only 11% of the city bike riders and 12% of the mountain bike riders always used the helmet, while 38% of the racing bike riders and 88% of the e-bike-riders always used the helmet. The helmet use seems not to change the sensation of safety of cycling compared to the use of a car. The arguments for not wearing a helmet are mostly stated to be the short distance of a trip, high temperatures or carelessness and waste of time. The reasons for using a helmet are stated to be the feeling of safety and being used to using a helmet. Being a role model for others was also stated to be a reason for helmet use. Concerning the sensation of the helmet 9% of the riders reported problems with the field of vision when using a helmet, 57% saw the problem of sweating too much, and 10% reported headaches or other unpleasant symptoms like pressure on the forehead when using the helmet. The analysis of the seating posture from the pictures taken of cyclists revealed that older cyclists generally have a riding position where the handle bar is higher than the seat (0-° to 10-° incline from seat to handlebar), while younger riders had a higher variance (between -10-° decline and 20-° incline). Further, elderly riders and riders with helmets seem to have a more upright position of the upper body when cycling. The vertical vision limit due to the helmet is determined by the front rim of the helmet (mostly the sun shade). Typical values here range from 0-° (horizontal line from the eye to the sun shade) to 75-° upwards, in which elderly riders tend to have a slightly higher vertical vision limit possibly due to the helmet being worn more towards the face.
Mit Abschluss dieses Forschungsprojekts ist eine Wissensbasis erarbeitet, die es ermöglicht relativ schnell die Eigenschaften beliebiger Schutzhelme im Voraus zu berechnen. Es wurde ein Rechenprogrammsystem erstellt, welches mit Hilfe der Schalentheorie und der Methode der Übertragungsmatrizen für alle denkbaren Aufschlagpunkte ingenieurmäßige Aussagen liefert über die Tauglichkeit eines Helms. Mit diesem Programmsystem wurde eine Parameterstudie anhand von 27 Helmvarianten mit dem Ziel durchgeführt, die Abstimmung von Helmschale und Schutzpolsterung so zu wählen, dass eine optimale Energieumsetzung möglich ist, optimal im Sinne einer Minimierung der aus dem Stoß resultierenden Kopfbeschleunigung. Es erfolgte eine Variation der Parameter Schutzpolsterungsdicke und Helmschalendicke. Die Abhängigkeit der Kopfbeschleunigung von der Aufprallenergie wurde ebenfalls untersucht. Neben Vergleichsrechnungen mit der Methode der finiten Elemente wurden auch gemessene Beschleunigungen zur Absicherung der Ergebnisse herangezogen. Die Parameterstudie mittels Übertragungsmatrizen ist auch mit einer parallel entwickelten PC-Programmversion durchführbar. Unter der Voraussetzung hinreichenden Energieaufnahmevermögens sind für den Polycarbonat-Polystyrol-Helm handelsüblicher Machart eine geringe Helmschalendicke, eine geringe Schutzpolsterungsdichte und eine dicke Schutzpolsterung anzustreben, wobei dieser letzte Einfluss weniger stark ist. Nach Abschluss der laufenden Polystyrol-Werkstoffversuche bleibt zu klären inwieweit die beschriebenen Einflüsse abhängig von der Aufprallenergie sind. Die Berechnungen zeigen, dass eine starke Abhängigkeit der maximalen Kopfbeschleunigung von der Aufprallenergie vorliegt, was vom Regelwerk ECE 22/02 nicht hinreichend berücksichtigt wird. Es ist notwendig in den Helmtests unterschiedliche Aufprallenergien zu realisieren. Der Tauglichkeitsnachweis muss den unfallrelevanten Geschwindigkeitsbereich abdecken. Die Prüfkopfmasse muss erhöht werden. Sie repräsentiert die reduzierte Masse und ist im Grenzfall gleich der Masse des Motorradfahrers. Anzustreben ist ideal plastisches Verhalten der Schutzpolsterung, so dass in Kombination mit einer biegesteifen Helmschale über einen weiten Energiebereich Beschleunigungskonstanz erzielt wird. Ein Schritt in diese Richtung wäre der Einsatz von Wabenstrukturen (honeycomb) zwischen Helmschale und Komfortpolsterung.
The purpose of this work is to investigate the association between the injuries in motorcycle accident and the main accident configurations. The data were provided by a multicentric case-control study MAIDS regarding the risk of crash and injuries of motorcyclists. Chi-square test was used to evaluate the relationship between the variables and a logistic regression was performed to evaluate the association of injury severity with some variables supposed to be predictive factors. Lesive patterns characterized by internal haemorrhages are mainly associated with fronto-lateral crashes, above all in urban areas. Lacerations or abrasions, mainly reported in torso and lower extremities, are mostly associated with single crashes or accidents in queue also for crashes occurred to low speed (< 50 km/h). The severity of injuries is highly associated with impact speed, regardless of the crash configuration. Fractures and haemorrhages play an important role in determining the severity of injuries. The upper extremities are the most frequently traumatised anatomic areas.
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.
Nach wie vor ist die Anzahl von Unfällen motorisierter Einspurfahrzeuge (MESFz) mit sehr schweren Verletzungsfolgen oder tödlichem Ausgang für die Aufsassen im Vergleich zu allen anderen getöteten Verkehrsteilnehmern alarmierend hoch. Im Jahr 2013 wurden bei insgesamt 42.427 Unfällen MESFz 641 Aufsassen getötet und 12.034 schwer verletzt. Um dieser hohen Zahl schwerverletzter und getöteter Aufsassen von MESFz entgegenzuwirken, hat die Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen (BASt) das vorliegende Projekt initiiert. Zielsetzung des Projektes war es, durch eine Analyse von Unfalldaten von MESFz, durch ergänzende computergestützte FEM-Simulationen und durch eine kritische Bewertung der UN-Regelung UN-R 22/05 (vormals ECE-R 22/05) hinsichtlich verletzungs-biomechanischer Inhalte (Versuche und Prüfwerte) Erkenntnisse zu erarbeiten, Handlungsbedarf festzustellen und Änderungs- und Ergänzungsvorschläge zur Überarbeitung der UN-R 22/05 sowie hinsichtlich allgemeiner Maßnahmen zu formulieren. Auf der Grundlage der amtlichen Unfalldaten des Statistischen Bundesamtes, Wiesbaden (DESTATIS) erfolgte eine Unfalldatenauswertung im Allgemeinen. Für eine detaillierte Analyse wurden Daten der "German In-Depth Accident Study" (GIDAS, Dresden und Hannover) ausgewählt. Bei etwa der Hälfte der im Teilumfang (n=199) untersuchten Unfälle von MESFz kam es zu Kopfverletzungen, überwiegend bei benutztem Schutzhelm. In 18 % lagen die führenden Verletzungen am Kopf; in 48 % blieb der Kopf unverletzt bei sonstigen schweren bis schwersten und tödlichen Verletzungen am Körper. Etwa 10 % der Aufsassen benutzten ein MESFz ohne bzw. mit absolut ungeeignetem Helm. Eine kritische Bewertung und Alternativvorschläge der derzeitigen Fassung der UN-R 22/05 wurden bezüglich der Punkte Prüfumfang, Prüfausstattung, Prüfdurchführung, Prüfkriterien und eine fälschungssicheren Homologations-Kennzeichnung erarbeitet.