00670208

Monograph

This paper addresses the question of whether there are differences in the relative safety experience in crashes with roadside safety hardware by vehicle body type using data from the North Carolina, Michigan, and the FARS/GES/POLK files. The data suggest that the "practical worst case" test philosophy of current roadside safety device evaluation procedures has provided about the same level of protection to drivers of pickups, light vans, and utility vehicles as for passenger car drivers if the measure of safety is likely to be serious (fatal plus incapacitating) injuries. If, on the other hand the measure of safety is likely to be fatal, this does not appear to be the case - drivers of pickups were found to be at greater risk. The likely reason for the greater risk of fatalities found for pickup drivers is ejection in rollovers. Programs to increase seatbelt use and other measures to reduce ejection rates in rollovers of pickups should be considered to reduce this risk.

Preprint of paper presented at Transportation Research Board 73rd Annual Meeting, January 9-13, 1994, Washington, D.C.

940894

English

8 p.

1994-1

References (8) ; Tables (7)

Automobiles by type; Injury severity; Pickup trucks; Safety equipment; Traffic crashes; Vans

Vehicle type

Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure

TRIS, TRB

Dec 23 1994 12:00AM