AN IMPORTANT PARAMETER IN THE STATISTICAL EVALUATION OF AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS IS THE VELOCITY CHANGE OF THE VEHICLE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PAPER IS TO DESCRIBE AND EVALUATE A METHOD FOR DETERMINING THIS PARAMETER, IN FRONTAL COLLISIONS, IN SUCH A WAY THAT A RELIABLE ANALYSIS OF THE VOLVO ACCIDENT MATERIAL IS ACHIEVED. THE PAPER BEGINS BY DESCRIBING THE GENERAL DEVELOPMENT FROM CLASSIFYING ACCIDENTS BY THE CDC-SYSTEM TO CLASSIFICATION BASED ON DETERMINATION OF VELOCITY CHANGE - DV. THEREAFTER THE EARLY VOLVO DV CALCULATIONS - BASED ON THE CAMPBELL METHOD - ARE EXPLAINED AND SOME DRAWBACKS WITH THIS METHOD ARE SHOWN. THE PAPER THEN PROPOSES A MORE SOPHISTICATED METHOD FOR CALCULATING DV. THE ABILITY OF DIFFERENT METHODS TO CALCULATE CORRECT VELOCITY CHANGES IS COMPARED IN A FEW, WELL RECORDED, LABORATORY TESTS AND TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS. THIS COMPARISON IS A BASIS FOR AN EVALUATION OF THE RELIABILITY OF THE PROPOSED VOLVO METHOD. THE INFLUENCE OF INACCURACY IN THE PARAMETERS IN THE MODEL IS DISCUSSED. THE PAPER THEN SUMMARIZES BENEFITS OF THIS METHOD AND SUGGESTS FURTHER ACTIVITIES IN THIS FIELD.(A) FOR THE COVERING ABSTRACT OF THE CONFERENCE SEE IRRD 802816.
Samenvatting