Results are reported of a multidisciplinary study of the factors involved in escape of occupants from crashed vehicle environments in which the vehicle is incapacitated on land, submerged in water or involved in fire. This volume summarizes the investigative efforts, results and conclusions. Analysis of the availability and accessibility of information, including the published literature, reports, accident records and other documents related to escape worthiness of vehicles and occupant survival revealed that the quality and reliability of these resources were inadequate to provide guidance for clarifying or resolving these problem areas. A series of programmed escape tests generated baseline data on human performance in escape from passenger vehicles and buses on land and passenger vehicles in water. Vehicle characteristics and human behavior are reflected in escape times for various passenger-population loads. Additional testing involved bus side window retention and glazing strength. Extensive flammability tests were conducted on over fifty materials used in the interior of vehicles.
Escape Worthiness of Vehicles and Occupant Survival. Part 1: Research Program
1970
532 pages
Report
No indication
English
Pipeline Transportation , Motor vehicle accidents , Accident investigations , Motor vehicle operators , Escape(Abandonment) , Collision research , Survival , Fires , Submerging , Performance evaluation , Buses(Vehicles) , Passenger vehicles , Surveys , Flammability , Burning rate , Ignition , Fire extinguishers , Automotive fuels , Fire prevention , Vehicle interior materials , Crash survivability