In Spain, frontal collisions between heavy vehicles and cars caused more than 2,000 deaths and a great number of injured people in the 1988-1990 period. This study performs a statistical analysis of these accidents relating different variables to each other, for example: masses, velocities, the number of victims and injured people, location of the vehicle occupants, and type of vehicle. The study also presents a severity index defined to compare the severity of different accidents in terms of their consequences for car occupants. The computer program SINRAT III is used which allows: (1) the simulation of both frontal collisions and post-collision movements; and (2) the introduction of every protective or energy absorber elements.
Abstract