Trucks with Different External Frontal Frames: Comparing Vulnerable Road User’s Injury Severities Using MADYMO

Each year thousands of pedestrians and bicyclists are killed or injured in road traffic accidents around the world. Highway crashes involving pedestrians include a high percentage of hit and run accidents where accused vehicles are trucks and victims are pedestrians and bicyclists. This along with the high exposure of vulnerable road users (VRU) on high speed freight corridors requires an in-depth analysis of impact of trucks with VRUs. While a variety of such analysis can be performed, in this study, focus has been given to carry out analysis of vulnerable road users (VRU) with trucks using simulation software MADYMO. External frontal frames of trucks composed of energy absorbing materials are used in this study as a means of impact injury reduction of VRUs in the event of side and/or rear collision at speeds between 15 and 60 km/h. The direct contact of the VRUs with hard metal surface is prevented by using these energy absorbing materials attached externally to the truck front. The spatial configuration of energy absorbing materials has been determined without negatively influencing either headlights or the direct sight and the air circulation of the engine parts. Injury criteria results obtained for all body segments reduced significantly for both pedestrians and bicyclists when the truck is attached with energy absorbing frontal system.