Crash%20recorders%20

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Crash recorders opening up the box

• Anders Kullgren
• Head of road traffic safety research at Folksam

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Crash recorders - content

• Why crash recorders?
• Potential applications
• Different types of recorders / running crash
  recorder projects
• Examples of results
• Summary

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Benefits of using crash recorders

• Increased quality of accident data
• Increased accuracy of data
• Possibility to use information previously not
  possible to obtain
• Better evaluation of new safety technology
• Knowledge of injury thresholds for the design of
  a crashworthy road transport system
• Better understanding of injury causes and injury
  mechanisms
• Influence on accident involvement risk?
• Useful from legal aspects (insurance)
• Information used for e-Callsystems

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Some applications

• Pre-crash data to investigate collision causation
• Evaluation of active safety systems
• Crash data to investigate crashworthiness
• Evaluation of interior safety systems
• Calculate injury risk versus impact severity
• Accident reconstruction

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Furhter applications

• Linking laboratory to real-life crashes
• Reconstruction of occupant kinematics using
  advanced occupant simulation codes with real-life
  data, such as crash pulse and car
  characteristics, as input
• Calculate injury risk functions and injury
  tolerance levels
• Validation of injury criteria

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Types of crash recorders

• Purpose of the recorder
• Research
• Legal aspects and accident involvement
• Pre crash, crash and post crash data
• Type of parameters recorded
• Performance of the car
• Crash severity
• Driver behaviour

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Examples of running large fleet projects

• Since 1990s - GM and Ford cars (more advanced in
  late 90s)
• Since 1995 - Volvo DARR in Volvo cars approx
  500.000 cars fitted
• Other manufacturers, Saab etc
• Since 1992 - Folksam CPR project - 220.000 cars
  fitted with Crash Pulse Recorders
• Since 1995 - UDS in Austria, Switzerland and
  Germany

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Storage and availability of data

• Important that such data can be available for
  research purposes
• Important for designers of both road
  infra-structure and cars
• Who will have access to the data?

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Some examples of results from the Folksam crash
recorder database

• Example of crash
• Exposure data
• Injury risk
• Evaluation of safety technology (airbag)

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Toyota Yaris Saab 900 (old)
Minor injuries (clav. fracture)
Driver front seat pass. fatally injured
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Number of crashes and injured - Delta-V
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Injury risk - Delta-V
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Influence of airbags on risk of whiplash injury
in frontal impacts (1999 figures)
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Summary

• Crash recorders are important
• for evaluation of new safety technology
• to get knowledge of injury thresholds for the
  design of a crashworthy road transport system
• Important to encourage initiatives where data can
  be available for research institutes and
  governmental bodies

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Wider use

• A wider use of crash recorders or event data
  recorders is desirable. A mandatory fitment of
  such devices would help but is not necessary.
• It is important to ensure that data from
  recorders will be collected and stored in such a
  way that it is available to designers of both
  cars and road-side objects, and especially to the
  responsible bodies for the road transport system.