Seat belts, knee-bolsters, and air bags have been developed for many years and are being used more widely. But passive safety can still be enhanced and must take a greater account of the occupants' specificities. In industrialized countries it is expected that by 2025, nearly 22% of the population will be more than 60 years old. Meanwhile new technologies, mainly electronic control, could soon be used to monitor a number of components of the restraint system even anticipating the crash initiation. For example, air bags and pretensioners are activated by crash sensors, belt anchorages are movable on the B-pillar as well as head restraints on the seat-back. It is therefore advisable to look at the ways to improve the restraint systems' efficiency for elderly drivers and passengers. After recalling the issue at stake from accident statistics, a literature search aims at investigating how and to what extent the human tolerance to impact is weakened by aging so that the variation of tolerance levels to impact could be estimated and proposed for consideration when developing intelligent restraint systems. (A)
Abstract