The aim of this study is a well thought-out estimation of the potential effectiveness and benefits ofa full windscreen airbag (or VRU airbag) in comparison to automatic braking and a pedestrian only airbag. This effectiveness study compares, in the Dutch situation: the number of fatalities; and the number of severely injured Vulnerable Road Users (pedestrians and cyclists). The effectiveness is regarded for the following scenarios: no safety systems specific to VRU's are deployed (reference scenario); automatic braking is deployed; a pedestrian airbag, covering only the lower part of the windscreen, is deployed; a VRU airbag, covering the full car windscreen, is deployed. This effectiveness study focuses on the situation in the Netherlands. The accident data used originated from two accident databases: 1. the Dutch database BRON, containing all police registration information; 2. the German in-depth database GIDAS, for in-depth accident information. The first database is used as base, where possible enriched with information of the secohd database. This report starts with a description of the chosen approach, data sources and methodology (chapter 2). Chapter 3 describes in detail which data is used and were the data is originated or how it is derived. Chapter 4, motivates the assumptions made in the effectiveness calculation methodlanalysis. In chapter 5 results are given and the report closes with conclusions and recommendations. (Author/publisher)
Abstract