SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research conducted a study into the influence of the front of the passenger car on the injury severity of cyclists. Special emphasis is given to the most common type of collision: the collision of the front of the car with the side of the bicycle. Next, the results were compared with those forecasts by mathematical simulations of the same type of collision. The following variables were analyzed: car front characteristics, height of the bonnet and front angle. In order to reduce the injury severity of cyclists as much as possible, it is recommended to look for 'suitable' forms of fronts. In this context, an integration of the bonnet, grill and bumper into a form to make certain that the body of the cyclist during a collision is rolled down by the front of the car in an anatomically justified way is considered as a solution. On the other hand, more attention should be paid to soft, crash energy-absorbing fronts. After all, studies conducted previously have demonstrated that crash-absorbing fronts are capable to reduce the deceleration of the body in a considerable way.
Abstract