FRONTAL IMPACTS WITH SMALL PARTIAL OVERLAP: REAL LIFE DATA FROM CRASH RECORDERS

Impacts with small overlap, or narrow offset impacts, are here defined as impacts with an overlap of less than 30%, often resulting in glance-off. Severe narrow offset collisions are characterised by high closing velocity, fairly low change of velocity, but major intrusion and high intrusion velocity, often resulting in severe injuries. For most car models the main part of the energy absorbing frontal structure is not engaged in this type of impact. Crash tests do not address the performance of the vehicle construction in this type of impact. This paper presents results from real life collisions, collected in a unique data collection system, where the crash pulse has been recorded in the impact phase. Since 1992, approximately 100,000 crash recorders have been installed, and about 300 crash pulses have been recorded. A crash test with two vehicles of different design regarding the performance in narrow offset impacts is also presented. The study shows that the percentage of moderately and severely injured drivers was higher in impacts with an overlap below 30% than in impacts with an overlap more than 30%. It is also shown that the frontal structure is important for the performance in narrow offset impacts. Reconstructions of these collisions are also disussed. For the covering abstract see IRRD E102514.

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