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New Auto Designs May Help Reduce Pedestrian Injuries and Fatalities

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) January1st and October 31st are the two most deadly days of the year for pedestrian fatalities.  Autumn is the season for the highest rate of pedestrian fatalities.  The three hour time period between the hours of 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. is the highest rate of any other three hour time frame for pedestrian fatalities.  Friday and Saturday have higher fatality rates than any other day of the week.  One in five pedestrians killed were killed in hit and run crashes.  This report also states that pedestrian fatalities have decreased in the past ten years from 13% to 11% of motor vehicle deaths.  Part of the reason for the decline is vehicle designs have changed in recent years to reduce injuries when a car collides with a pedestrian.

While automakers have made several advancements to protect the safety of the occupants inside the vehicle they are now focusing on the safety of the people outside the vehicles.  This trend was prompted in part by safety standards in cars being manufactured overseas.  Since cars are being sold overseas car manufacturers want their cars to meet and many global standards as possible.

Studying pedestrian accidents is more challenging that it seems.  Most pedestrian are hit with the front of the vehicle but there are several factors that determine what will happen after the impact.  The size of the vehicle as well as the size of the pedestrian can have different results making a comprehensive study more difficult.  An example would be if a high profile car, like an SUV, hits a pedestrian it will likely mean the impact will occur higher on the body.  Another of the many factors is the position of the leg.  This will determine whether their body will go forward or backward.  Speed is another consideration.  If the driver doesn’t brake the pedestrian will likely end up on the hood of the car but if the driver brakes they will likely end up under the vehicle. 

Some of the changes in vehicle design have been obvious changes to help lower pedestrian injury.  These include hood ornaments are either imbedded in the grill or designed to collapse.  Exterior mirror are now on springs and door handles are recessed.  All of these design changes can reduce injury to a pedestrian who has been hit.  Another less obvious change is hood designs.  Most cars manufactured in the U.S. have braces that support the hood that will collapse when impacted from above.  Engine covers are made of plastic to further soften the blow.  Some vehicles have also increased the amount of space between the hood and engine cover.

A major area of concern that is proving to be a challenge for car makers is the front bumper.  In Europe and Asia where there are many more pedestrians they have designed bumpers with more crush space.  Unfortunately these bumpers don’t do as well in crash tests and can interfere with the sensors that trigger air bag deployment.  A solution being implemented by Toyota is bumpers with a high density foam which is behind a plastic bumper cover.

There will be more design changes in the future that will undoubtedly lead to more pedestrian safety standards in the autos made in the U.S.  On average, 13 pedestrians are killed which averages out to around one death every two hours.

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