Although the frequency of pedestrian accidents has reduced significantly in recent years, there are still about 7000 pedestrians killed annually in the European Union, with about 10 times as many being seriously injured. This accident analysis is intended to support the development of impact procedures and performance limits to test the safety of cars in pedestrian accidents. Two sources of data have been used, separately and in combination: a database of information extracted from police reports on fatal accidents, and the Scottish Hospitals In-Patients Statistics (SHIPS) database which consists of hospital injury data linked to the national road accident database. Injury distributions by body region, casualty age and accident year show a number of injury trends over time. However, very few trends were noted with injury distributions by body region and the age of the car design. Cars of certain shapes might be at an advantage in passing part of the proposed test procedures yet might potentially cause increased injuries to the head. However, an injury analysis by car shape revealed no cause for concern. (A)
Abstract