The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated the Pedestrian Crash Data Study (PCDS) to provide detailed information regarding vehicle/pedestrian crashes. The PCDS was implemented to focus on pedestrian crashes occurring after 1994, involving vehicle model years 1990 and later. NHTSA had previously conducted the Pedestrian Injury Causation Study (PICS) which focused on crashes that occurred between 1977 and 1980. However, vehicle designs have changed dramatically since that time, necessitating a new evaluation of pedestrian collisions with current vehicle models. The PCDS study concentrates on several aspects of the pedestrian crash data including those proposed by the ESV/IHRA Project Pedestrian Safety Accident Survey Procedure (May, 1997) and several areas of the PICS study. The data used in the study was taken from pedestrians involved in frontal vehicle crashes in six major United States cities. The cases may involve more than one pedestrian but excludes persons operating motor-driven cycles or bicycles. Correlation and evaluation of the data will be based on age, impact speed, injured body regions and parts, and injuring vehicle regions and parts. A thorough comparison will be made between the PICS and PCDS results to evaluate the correlation between changes in vehicle geometry and the severity and location of injuries. (A)
Abstract