Challenges in the development of a regulatory test procedure for neck protection in rear impacts:​ status of the EEVC WG20 and WG12 joint activity

Hynd, D.; van Ratingen, M.

A new EEVC Working Group, WG20 (Rear Impact test procedure(s) and the mitigation of neck injury), was given the task to develop test procedures for rear end collisions, with a prime focus on neck injury reduction (whiplash). The work is carried out in collaboration with the EEVC WG12 (Advanced Anthropometry Adult Crash Dummies). WG20 is responsible for the definition of the test conditions and the overall coordination of this activity. WG12 is responsible for the selection of an appropriate crash test dummy and identification of biomechanically based injury criteria with known injury risk functions.

WG20 carried out a review of field accident data, clinical data, available sled test methods, biomechanical research on injury causation and human subject dynamic response, proposed injury criteria, available impact dummies, and instrumentation and dummy positioning methods. The findings of the WG20 review provide the basis for the future work of the group and are summarised here.

WG20 has a work programme to develop and validate a test procedure to assess the geometry of head restraints as a first stage in their approach to whiplash injury mitigation. In the longer term a sled-based dynamic assessment of injury risk or seat performance will be developed and validated.

WG12 has defined draft biofidelity requirements for rear impact crash test dummies and will evaluate the available rear impact dummies against these requirements once they are finalised. This paper summarises the chosen biofidelity requirements and the criteria by which they were selected. It also outlines the further work programme of the group to evaluate and validate biomechanically based injury criteria for rear impact crash testing.

Year

Entry

2000

Bertholon N, Robin S, Le-Coz J-Y, Potier P, Lassau J-P, Skalli W. Human head and cervical spine behaviour during low-speed rearend impacts: PMHS sled tests with a rigid seat. In: Proceedings of the 2000 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 20-22, 2000; Montpellier, France.265-289.

2003

Kullgren A, Eriksson L, Boström O, Krafft M. Validation of neck injury criteria using reconstructed real-life rear-end crashes with recorded crash pulses. In: Proceedings of the 18th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 19-22, 2003; Nagoya, Japan.

1999

Farmer CM, Wells JK, Werner JV. Relationship of head restraint positioning to driver neck injury in rear-end crashes. Accid Anal Prev. November 1999;31(6):719-728.

2004

Linder A, Avery M, Kullgren A, Krafft M. Real-world rear impacts reconstructed in sled tests. In: Proceedings of the 2004 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 22-24, 2004; Graz, Austria.233-244.

1998

Davidsson J, Deutscher C, Hell W, Linder A, Lövsund P, Svensson MY. Human volunteer kinematics in rear-end sled collisions. In: Proceedings of the 1998 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 16-18, 1998; Göteberg, Sweden.289-301.