Real World Accident Analysis of Driver Car-to-Car Intersection Near-Side Impacts: Focus on Impact Location, Impact Angle and Lateral Delta-V 2018-01-1328

In total, 865 intersection car-to-car crashes (NASS-CDS CY 2004-2014) are analyzed in detail to determine the injury level outcome based on different crash factors, such as delta-V, age, airbag deployment, number of events, impact locations (F,Y,P,Z,D,B-regions based on CDC codes), amount of compartment intrusion and impact angle. A multivariate logistic regression test was performed to predict the probability of MAIS3+ serious injuries using lateral delta-V, location of maximum deformation from B-PLR, age (0: <60/1: ≥60 years), number of events (0: single/ 1: multiple), intrusion (0: <16cm/ 1: ≥16cm), side airbag deployment (yes/no) and direction of impact (0: 9/ 1: 10 o’clock). It is found that direction of impact is one of the significant (p<0.05) parameters and 10 o’clock angle impact has more influence than 9 o’clock perpendicular lateral impact. Frequency of AIS3+ injuries was high in Y-region impact cases. A sensitivity analysis of serious injuries is performed with respect to lateral delta-V based on logistic regression equation. The probability of serious injury increases more than 2 times when the angle of impact changes from 9 to 10 o’clock. However, the increase in probability of serious injury when the lateral delta-V changes from 25 to 30kph (equivalent to 50 to 60kph impact velocity of struck vehicle) is less than that of the change due to angle of impact. The above physical phenomena in real world accident were also verified with barrier to car FE simulations. After the introduction of IIHS and SINCAP crash performance tests, newer vehicles are becoming safer from occupant protection point view. However, this study reveals that there may be room for further improvement to reduce serious injuries of occupants in C2C side impact crashes at intersection. Further enhancement of occupant safety performance may be achieved by (a) proper selection of passive safety parameters (such as, impact angle, delta-V and location of impact, velocity of struck vehicle) or (b) a combination of passive and active safety technologies (such as AEB at intersection) in future crash tests configurations.