Investigation into suitability of current ATDs to represent ageing drivers

Ageing car occupants are expected to become a larger part of the driver and passenger population in developed countries in the future. Currently, Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATDs) are essential tools to assess safety of automobiles; however, they do not fully embody the features of all occupant groups in the world population. This study investigates the features of ageing drivers. The data are collected and analysed with respect to age and gender. Information particularly on driverautomobile interaction is provided in the form of distances and angles measured in-car. The physical characteristics of existing ATDs are investigated and compared with the anthropometric data of ageing drivers. Comparisons indicate that the current ATDs do not incorporate some of the features of ageing drivers. The requirements of future ATDs such as sitting height, abdominal depth and posture are discussed. These specifications are essential for the development of new ATDs representing ageing drivers

Pregnant occupant model with a fetus: "Expecting"

Detailed anthropometric data of pregnant women have been collected and used in the development of a computational model of the pregnant occupant model "Expecting". The model is complete with a finite element uterus and multi-body fetus, which is a novel feature in the models of this kind. The computational pregnant occupant model has been validated and used to simulate a range of impacts. The strains developed in the utero-placental interface are used as the main criteria for fetus safety. Stress distributions due to inertial loading of the fetus on the utero-placental interface play a role on the strain levels. Inclusion of fetus model is shown to significantly affect the strain levels in the utero-placental interface. This series of studies has led to the design of seatbelt features specifically for the pregnant women to enable them use the seatbelt correctly and comfortably

PREGNANT OCCUPANT MODEL INCLUDING A FETUS FOR VEHICLE SAFETY INVESTIGATIONS

Computational occupant modelling has an effective role to play in investigating road safety. Realistic representation of occupants is very important to make investigations in virtual environment. Pregnant occupant modelling can help investigating safety for unborn occupants (fetuses) however, existing pregnant occupant models are not very realistic. Most do not anthropometrically represent pregnant women and do not include a fetus model

Pregnant Occupant Model Including a Fetus for Vehicle Safety Investigations

Computational occupant modelling has an effective role to play in investigating road safety. Realistic representation of occupants is very important to make investigations in virtual environment. Pregnant occupant modelling can help investigating safety for unborn occupants (fetuses) however, existing pregnant occupant models are not very realistic. Most do not anthropometrically represent pregnant women and do not include a fetus model

Correct Use of Three-Point Seatbelt by Pregnant Occupants

The largest cause of accidental death and placental abruption in pregnancy is automobile collisions. Lives can be saved by correct use of the three-point seatbelt during pregnancy. Human interaction is essential for correct use of seatbelts. The objective of this study is to investigate pregnant women’s use of correct shoulder section together with correct lap section as advised by obstetricians and highway experts and to identify the most common seatbelt misuse during pregnancy. An international web survey was conducted in five languages for this study. 1931 pregnant women reported their use of seatbelts and how they position the shoulder and lap sections of their seatbelts. Special attention was paid to distinguish between ‘partly correct’ and ‘correct’ seatbelt positioning. The questionnaire responses are used to determine the magnitude of every combination of the correct and incorrect shoulder and lap section of the seatbelt positioning during pregnancy. Results show that seatbelt usage in pregnancy is generally high in the world. However, the correct use of the entire seatbelt is very low, at only 4.3% of all respondents. 40.8% of the respondents use the shoulder portion of the belt correctly, whilst a 13.2% use the lap section correctly. The most common misuse is ‘across abdomen’ or ‘not using the seatbelt at all’, and both pose danger to pregnant women and their fetuses. Correct use of three point seatbelts is a challenge during pregnancy. We recommend that the media, medical community, and automotive industry provide targeted information about correct seatbelt use during pregnancy and accident databases include ‘correct seatbelt use’ information in crash statistics

An anthropometric study of wheelchair seated drivers of motor vehicles

An anthropometric study of wheelchair seated drivers of motor vehicle