The US, European and Australian New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) [1] and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) produce ratings of new vehicle performance based on dynamic crash tests in frontal, side and rear crashes; and vehicle handling tests. No dynamic based crashworthiness ratings exist to date in relation to rollover crashes [2]. This study fills that gap and proposes a rating system for new vehicle performance in rollover crashes. Combined with existing rating systems, consumers will then have a complete and balanced picture of occupant protection performance.
A database of more than 40 Jordan Rollover System (JRS) dynamic rollover tests [3], [4], [5] assessing injury potential by roof crush and crush speed has generically validated NHTSA and IIHS statistical data as a function of FMVSS 216 quasi-static, strength to weight ratio (SWR) [6].
There is however a wide disparity between the performance of individual vehicles at the same or similar SWR between the IIHS statistical and JRS dynamic test data. That disparity has been partially investigated in a companion paper in this conference (Vehicle Roof Geometry and its Effect on Rollover Roof Performance [7]).
IIHS data indicated [8], [9] a 50% reduction in incapacitating and fatal injury risk with a fleet average SWR = 4. However, the use of a SWR-based rollover criterion does not provide sufficient crashworthiness fidelity essential for consumers, nor does such a criterion provide industry the opportunity to design cost-efficient rollover crashworthy vehicles based on occupant injury performance. Only a dynamic rollover testing protocol based on injury criteria would provide this information.