Mapping the path forward toward equity in crash safety: recommendations from an expert workshop
Jermakian, Jessica S. / Arbelaez, Raul A. / Brumbelow, Matthew L.
Proceedings of the 27th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV)
April 2023
Abstract
Crash testing historically has focused on the use of midsize male anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs). These tools and, more recently, ATDs representing a small female have been used to drive improvements for a diverse population with many differences that can affect injury risk. However, there are still gaps in protection for some population groups that may require different strategies to optimize their protection. To address this, 23 experts from industry, academia, and government convened in October 2022 for a 2-day workshop to reflect on opportunities and challenges in protecting both male and female occupants of different ages and sizes. Workshop participants included experts in biomechanics, behavioral science, human factors, communications, and policy. The discussion focused on how current tools and resources can be used to better protect a range of occupants and what future tools and data are needed to improve safety evaluations and incentivize robustness across the occupant protection design space. This paper reports on the workshop discussion and recommendations along the following key themes: the need to understand the current state of occupant protection to identify priority populations; the need for fundamental data on the populations of interest to improve ATDs and computational tools; computational modeling and human body models as critical tools for studying injury causation and evaluating countermeasures; currently available tools and strategies that can benefit a diverse population; and the importance of collaboration. The recommendations provide several paths to improve safety today and work toward improved protection in the future for a broader range of occupants with diverse needs.
Crash testing historically has focused on the use of midsize male anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs). These tools and, more recently, ATDs representing a small female have been used to drive improvements for a diverse population with many differences that can affect injury risk. However, there are still gaps in protection for some population groups that may require different strategies to optimize their protection. To address this, 23 experts from industry, academia, and government convened in October 2022 for a 2-day workshop to reflect on opportunities and challenges in protecting both male and female occupants of different ages and sizes. Workshop participants included experts in biomechanics, behavioral science, human factors, communications, and policy. The discussion focused on how current tools and resources can be used to better protect a range of occupants and what future tools and data are needed to improve safety evaluations and incentivize robustness across the occupant protection design space. This paper reports on the workshop discussion and recommendations along the following key themes: the need to understand the current state of occupant protection to identify priority populations; the need for fundamental data on the populations of interest to improve ATDs and computational tools; computational modeling and human body models as critical tools for studying injury causation and evaluating countermeasures; currently available tools and strategies that can benefit a diverse population; and the importance of collaboration. The recommendations provide several paths to improve safety today and work toward improved protection in the future for a broader range of occupants with diverse needs.
Abstract
Crash testing historically has focused on the use of midsize male anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs). These tools and, more recently, ATDs representing a small female have been used to drive improvements for a diverse population with many differences that can affect injury risk. However, there are still gaps in protection for some population groups that may require different strategies to optimize their protection. To address this, 23 experts from industry, academia, and government convened in October 2022 for a 2-day workshop to reflect on opportunities and challenges in protecting both male and female occupants of different ages and sizes. Workshop participants included experts in biomechanics, behavioral science, human factors, communications, and policy. The discussion focused on how current tools and resources can be used to better protect a range of occupants and what future tools and data are needed to improve safety evaluations and incentivize robustness across the occupant protection design space. This paper reports on the workshop discussion and recommendations along the following key themes: the need to understand the current state of occupant protection to identify priority populations; the need for fundamental data on the populations of interest to improve ATDs and computational tools; computational modeling and human body models as critical tools for studying injury causation and evaluating countermeasures; currently available tools and strategies that can benefit a diverse population; and the importance of collaboration. The recommendations provide several paths to improve safety today and work toward improved protection in the future for a broader range of occupants with diverse needs.Crash testing and crashworthiness: Miscellaneous, ID: 2270