By 1950, 60% of American households owned a car, yet vehicle design for occupant protection was poorly developed, and remained unregulated in the US until 1968 [1]. Regulation resulted in dramatic improvements in occupant safety [2]. Similarly, although researchers have had a basic understanding of the relationship between vehicle design and pedestrian injuries since the 1960s [3], the safety of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists was not a serious consideration in vehicle design until the 1980s. This has been fuelled by the belief that little could be done to protect pedestrians in the event of a vehicle impact [4, 5] but also by vehicle manufacturers' reluctance to develop an area not governed by legislation and not considered to provide sufficient added value to the vehicle. Safety research for pedestrians and cyclists was therefore slow and poorly funded in comparison to vehicle occupants and scientific consensus on the requirements of vehicle design for pedestrian protection has still not been achieved. In consequence, existing standards are subject to updates and legal implementation is evolving and remains limited. However, there is now substantial public appetite in many countries for the regulation of vehicle design for pedestrian safety, as evidenced by the introduction of pedestrian safety testing by consumer driven safety organisations such as the New Car Assessment Programs [6] operational in Europe, Japan and Australia.
Vehicle Design Standards for Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety
2009-01-01
16 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
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