If we accept that total accident avoidance is in practice not attainable in modern societies, then it is clear that the design of the vehicle has a role to play in any casualty reduction targets that such societies choose to adopt. In the past thirty years there have been many safety-related design changes to vehicles in Australia, some enforced through Australian Design Rules and, particularly in recent years, many driven by market forces as consumers now opt for safety over performance in many circumstances. This paper includes a review of these design changes and the effect they have on casualty reduction in Australia. Both mass data analyses and in-depth crash investigation methodologies have been used in these evaluations. An example of one such analysis is the effectiveness of airbags in frontal crashes. Results are presented in this paper revealing a very clear benefit of airbags in reducing injuries to the head, neck and chest. The effect of other design changes will also be considered. A further review is made of the outstanding issues in terms of vehicle design. For example, there are crashes which exceed the engineering capabilities of the even the most modern vehicles. Such events pose most problems for vehicle designers. A discussion is made about the need to match the engineering crashworthiness of the vehicle with the road infrastructure and laws governing its use if we are to become serious about a zero road toll in Australia. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E205861.
Abstract