Determination of real world occupant postures by photo studies to aid smart restraint development

Bingley, Lisa; Morris, Richard; Cross, Gabrielle

The "Proposed Reduction of car crash Injuries through improved SMart restraint development technologies" (PRISM) project is a European Commission funded 5th Framework project that is intending to determine appropriate smart restraint technologies for Europe.

This photographic study was undertaken as part of the PRISM project. The purpose of the study was to obtain statistical information regarding driver and passenger postures under normal driving conditions. The results gave a clear indication of real world postures at impact that should be considered for smart restraint systems.

Rural and urban sites were selected in Spain, Austria and the United Kingdom, representing southern, central and northern Europe. Sites were scrutinised for their suitability to film. Film analysis was undertaken on each vehicle filmed.

The primary measurements taken were: Driver nose to steering wheel, Driver head centreline to vehicle centreline and Passenger head centreline to vehicle centreline. Other parameters noted included use of seatbelts, hand positions, luggage locations etc. In all, 12 vehicle parameters and 15 driver parameters were noted per vehicle with additional parameters for each passenger, where appropriate. In total, over 4800 vehicles were filmed and analysed.

The site selection and survey methodology are described. Various issues, such as time-of-day and location influences, together with the limitations associated with the methodology are also presented.

Following a discussion of the results, a number of conclusions have been drawn, regarding statistical distributions of various parameters and their importance in occupant protection and for smart restraint design.

Although similar previous studies have been undertaken (MacKay, Hassan, Hill, 16th ESV, Windsor also Parkin, MacKay, Cooper, Proceedings, AAAM, Nov 93), this study utilises a wider range of sites, a larger sample size, and due to technology improvements better image quality, leading to an improved quality of data collection. Societal trends, such as the use of mobile phones, etc are also noted.

Year

Entry

2005

Morris R, Cross G. Improved understanding of passenger behaviour during pre-impact events to aid smart restraint development. In: Proceedings of the 19th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 6-9, 2005; Washington, DC.

2004

Couper GJ, McCarthy MG. The effect of driver positioning on the dynamic response to a potential accident event. In: Proceedings of the 2004 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 22-24, 2004; Graz, Austria.313-314.

1993

Parkin S, Mackay GM, Cooper A. How drivers sit in cars. In: 37th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). November 4-6, 1993; San Antonio, TX.375-388.

1998

Mackay M, Hassan AM, Hill JR. Observational studies of car occupants’ positions. In: Proceedings of the 16th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 31–June 4, 1998; Windsor, Ontario, Canada.1465-1472.

Year

Entry