| Collision Magazine Back
Issue Sale
SALE HAS BEEN EXTENDED!
 Since Collision Magazine didn't start hitting mailboxes until late August, we decided to keep this one-time back issue sale active through September 2008. During the month of September 2008, Collision Publishing is offering all back-issues of Collision Magazine at a special reduced rate.
Act fast! These discounted rates are only good thru the month of September and includes FREE SHIPPING. Supplies of the back issues are limited and once they are gone, they're gone!
HERE ARE THE SPECIAL PRICES:
Volume 1, Issue 1
Regular Price: $59.00
Sale Price: $35.00
Volume 1, Issue 2
Regular Price: $119.00
Sale Price: $65.00
Volume 2, Issue 1
Regular Price: $59.00
Sale Price: $35.00
Volume 2, Issue 2
Regular Price: $119.00
Sale Price: $65.00
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Analysis of Event Data Recorder Data for Vehicle Safety Improvement
The Volpe Center performed a comprehensive engineering analysis of Event Data Recorder (EDR) data supplied by NHTSA to assess its accuracy and usefulness in crash reconstruction and improvement of vehicle safety systems. EDRs have been used in vehicles for many years to capture certain data pertaining to the events just prior to, and during a crash. Although EDRs provide very limited recording capabilities, they can provide objective real-world crash information for vehicle safety research purposes. The Volpe Center gathered and analyzed over 2,500 EDR files that have been downloaded from the National Automotive Sampling System's (NASS) Crashworthiness Data System (CDS), Special Crash Investigations (SCI), and Crash Injury Research & Engineering Network (CIREN) databases supplied by NHTSA. The analyses focused on EDR file format and potential improvements, assessment of crash types where EDR data exist, review of EDR data for accuracy and completeness, EDR data comparisons with existing crash data, review of pre-crash, crash, and post-crash data for usefulness in better understanding the crash reconstruction, identification of error sources, and determination of methods by which researchers could use the EDR data to improve their crash case information. The ultimate objective is to determine if EDR data should be used by motor vehicle safety researchers to aid in the development and evaluation of vehicle safety concepts. The use of EDR data might enable a more accurate assessment of safety benefits for various crash countermeasures, intelligent vehicle crash avoidance technologies, and current crash test procedures by creating objective data to better model pre-crash and crash events.
Effects of Resititution in the Application of Crush Coefficients
Effects of restitution on damage interpretations are compounded by the fact that restitution acts to reduce the amount of residual deformation, for a given maximum dynamic crush, while also acting to increase the total impact speed change. This paper presents a revised analytical procedure to include restitution effects for the CRASH program and refinements to the restitution modeling within the SMAC program. The conversion of vehicle impact test results into inputs for the two revised programs is also included. The effects of the refinements to the damage analysis procedures on reconstruction results are illustrated by direct comparisons with corresponding results produced by the original SMAC and CRASH programs and with measured data from full scale vehicle impact tests.
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800-280-7940
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ECM & Speed Data
Robert Reed 11-23-07
Reed Transportation Service, Inc.
Columbus, Ohio ©2007
The ECM & Speed Data is part of series of educational PowerPoint's on technical issues that were developed by Reed Transportation Service Inc. and Robert Reed for use by the trucking industry, law enforcement, insurance companies, attorneys and accident reconstruction personnel. The PowerPoint series is an Appendix to my Modern Trucking Forensic Guide and Training Manual. The PowerPoint's are used in customer seminars and distributed to clients of Reed Transportation Service Inc.
View/Download PDF
NHTSA's Benefit Model in the Proposed FMVSS 216 Roof Strength Standard
As part of a comprehensive plan to reduce the risk of
death and serious injury in rollover crashes, NHTSA has
proposed upgrading the roof crush resistance standard,
FMVSS 216. To evaluate the benefit of this proposal, the
agency examined real-world data on injuries and
fatalities that would be prevented by the proposed
rulemaking. This paper provides a detailed discussion of the statistical and engineering approaches used to derive benefit estimates on fatalities calculated by
NHTSA for the proposed upgrade. It concludes the
NHTSA estimate of 13-44 lives saved annually is not
reliable due to extreme sensitivity of the benefit
calculation to the paucity of field data and questionable
engineering assumptions.
View the full Article
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Welcome to the
Accident Reconstruction Newsletter Volume 10, Issue #96.
 New ARC Network Web Site:
We are looking forward to launching the new ARC Network web site. We are busy testing different modules and it looks like we will be on schedule to launch the site in October 2008.
The new ARC Network web site will bring you all the information you are used to, but we are making everything more user-friendly and searchable. We are also adding in some print functions so you can save the information you find by printing it to your printer or a PDF file.
2009 CDR User's Conference:
We are now accepting registrations for the 2009 CDR User's Conference.
Bosch is getting ready for a CDR software update along with a hardware update. This new update will be covered at the conference along with many other new and exciting CDR topics.
The 2009 CDR User's Conference will be held in Houston, TX. This conference will feature industry experts speaking on various topics, most of which relate directly to crash data retrieval. All conference presentations will be held at the Sheraton North Houston Hotel.
This year we are hosting the conference at the same hotel; however, we are holding the presentations in the newly remodeled amphitheater! The hands-on workshops will be held in the ballroom (divided in smaller sections).
With this new format, space is limited to 200 attendees. All registrations are a first-come, first-serve basis. If you are planning on attending the 2009 CDR User's Conference it is highly recommended to register early. Not only does it guarantee you a seat, but also gets you a $200 early registration discount.
2009 ARC-CSI Crash Conference:
ARC-CSI have confirmed the dates for the 2009 ARC-CSI Crash Conference. It will be held June 1-4, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The crash testing will once again be held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the conference presentations will be held at the Palace Station Hotel.
Collision: Volume 3, Issue 1 shipped July 28, 2008. After all the magazines were delivered to the USPS, they informed us that the delivery of this issue will most likely be delayed due to heavy political mailings. The good news is, the magazine has started to show up at some of our pilot locations - so if you haven't already, you should be receiving this issue shortly (if you are a subscriber).
If you would like to subscribe to Collision or purchase any of the back issues (current back-issue sale going on now thru the end of Sept. 2009), please visit www.collisionpublishing.com or ask your local accident reconstruction organization if they are an industry partner with Collision for a discounted subscription.
Thank you for supporting the ARC Network and subscribing to the Accident Reconstruction Newsletter. If you would like to contribute to the newsletter, please email any articles to arc@accidentreconstruction.comScott Baker
President
ARC Network LLC
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NHTSA Technical Analysis to Support Upgrading the Passenger Crash Protection in School Buses
Every year, approximately 474,000 public school buses transport 25.1 million children to and from school and school-related activities. These buses travel an estimated 4.8 billion route miles. The school bus occupant fatality rate of 0.23 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is much lower than the overall rate for motor vehicles of 1.5 per 100 million VMT.
The June 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), Sections 2007 (b), (c), and (d) directed NHTSA to "conduct a study to assess occupant safety on school buses." This section directed NHTSA to "examine available information about occupant safety and analyze options for improving occupant safety."
In August 1998, NHTSA published a report titled, "School Bus Safety: Safe Passage for America's Children." The report outlined NHTSA's current and future actions on school bus safety. The report stated that even though compartmentalization1 has proven to be an excellent form of occupant protection, the agency has initiated a comprehensive research program to develop the next generation of school bus occupant protection.
On May 7, 2002, NHTSA issued a press release announcing that the school bus research report had been sent to Congress. The press release stated that in response to NHTSA's research effort, the agency was considering the following changes to the existing federal safety standards:
- Increasing the seat back height from 508 mm (20 inches) to 610 mm (24 inches) to reduce the potential for passenger override2 in the event of a crash.
- Requiring school buses with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4,536 kg (10,000 pounds) or less to have lap/shoulder restraints. (Currently, seats on these buses must be equipped with lap belts only.) The agency would also consider seat redesign to ensure that lap/shoulder belt anchorages are installed so the seat belts fit correctly for passengers aged six years through adult.
- Developing standardized test procedures for voluntarily installed lap/shoulder belts.
This technical analysis for a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) addresses the following actions required to promulgate the changes to the existing regulations:
- Amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 222, School Bus
Passenger Seating and Crash Protection, to:Increase seat back height from 508 mm (20 inches) to 610 mm (24 inches) above the seating reference point. This will reduce the potential for a full size passenger to override the seat.
- Require lap/shoulder belt restraints instead of the current lap belts for small school buses (GVWR <= 4,536 kg (10,000 pounds)).
- Require seats with lap/shoulder belt restraint systems to be designed to ensure the seat belt anchorages are installed so the seat belts fit properly for typical 6 year-old through typical adult sized occupants.
- Require that voluntarily installed lap/shoulder belt systems in school buses with a GVWR over 4,536 kg (10,000 pounds) and lap/shoulder belt systems in small school buses meet a specified quasi-static test procedure for lap/shoulder belts.
- Amend FMVSS No. 210, Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages, to:
- Specify a seat belt anchorage strength test of 13,345 N (3,000 pounds) each for the torso and the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt anchorages in school buses with GVWR greater than 4,536 kg (10,000 pounds) for voluntarily installed lap/shoulder belts on passenger seats.
- Specify a seat belt anchorage strength test of 22,240 N (5,000 pounds) for lap belt anchorages in school buses with a GVWR greater than 4,536 kg (10,000 pounds) for voluntarily installed lap belts on passenger seats.
- Add a requirement for lap/shoulder anchorage locations so the seat belts fit properly for the 6 year-old through adult sized male occupants.
- Amend FMVSS No. 208, Occupant Crash Protection, to:
- Amend S4.4.3.3 to require lap/shoulder belt at all passenger-seating positions on school buses with a GVWR of 4,536 kg (10,000 pounds) or less.
- Amend FMVSS No. 207, "Seating Systems," to
- Eliminate the exemption for school buses with a GVWR of 4,536 kg (10,000 pounds) or less.
Also, this technical analysis addresses safety recommendations from the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to develop performance standards that provide crash protection in frontal, side, and rear impact crashes, and seat bottom cushion retention for seats that are designed to flip to allow for easier cleaning.
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Airbag Crash Investigations
Airbag Crash InvestigationsThe performance of occupant protection systems, especially air bags, is of high interest to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Since 1972, the NHTSA has operated a Special Crash Investigations (SCI) program, which provides the agency with the flexibility to acquire detailed engineering information quickly on high visibility traffic crashes of special interest. The SCI collects in-depth crash data on new and rapidly changing technologies in real world crashes. NHTSA uses the data collected in this program and others to evaluate rulemaking actions. The data are also used by the automotive industry and other organizations to evaluate the performance of motor vehicle occupant protection systems such as air bags.
This paper presents information from NHTSA's SCI program concerning crash investigations on air bag equipped vehicles. The paper provides information on data collection and findings in the NHTSA sponsored air bag crash investigations, updating and expanding findings from the 17th Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV) paper "Air Bag Crash Investigations" by Chidester and Roston [Ref. 3]. Topics include air bag-related fatalities as a whole and by certification status; physical characteristics of occupants fatally injured by a deploying air bag; and an overview of special case studies available on NHTSA's world wide web site.
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SAE Book Sale
Crash Reconstruction Research: 20 Years of Progress (1988 - 2007) $119.95 ($95.96 for SAE Members).
Tire Forensic Investigation: Analyzing Tire Failure $79.95 ($63.96 for SAE members)
Event Data Recorders: A Decade of Innovation $99.95 ($79.96 for SAE members)
Forensic Biomechanics: Using Medical Records to Study Injury Mechanisms $99.95 ($79.96 for SAE Members).
To order, or for more information, visit store.sae.org, phone 1-877-606-7323 (in the U.S. and Canada) or 1-724-776-4970, or email CustomerService@sae.org.
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