The rescue of occupants from a vehicle that has been in an accident receives comparatively scant attention from the public at large. The media and automotive industry devote a great deal of attention to the active and passive safety systems of vehicles. In relative terms, the situation after the crash receives minimal attention. Numerical data concerning difficulties in extracting people from vehicles and the degree to which the rescue of people was hampered by certain vehicle characteristics is scarcely available. Discussions with emergency service personnel also indicate that experiences are directly linked to specific accidents. Nibra’s contribution places vehicle-related problems within a wider context of the provision of assistance as a whole. The TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research) report on developments in vehicle technology indicates that the seriousness of the problems will increase as a result of the application of new materials, changes in electronics and new drive technology. There are two positive developments to report. Information about vehicle types has become available to emergency service personnel due to the advent of in-car vehicle electronics. A second, very promising development is the introduction of automatic accident reporting. The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and the KLPD (National Police Services) have announced that the incident room will be able to process these automatic reports in the fourth quarter of 2005. In order to make this development a real success, vehicles will also have to be equipped with the required technology in this regard. The report concludes with proposals for action in four areas. The recommendations from earlier chapters have been included in this conclusion. Each action’s relationship with the various steps of the assistance process is set out. In order to improve the safety of the rescue operation, the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management will have to cooperate with the other parties involved. Where possible, a link will have to be sought with existing consultative processes and structures. (Author/publisher)
Abstract