Side door beams were installed in passenger cars in response to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 214. The purpose of beams is to reduce the velocity and depth of door intrusion into the passenger compartment in side impact crashes. The objectives of this Agency staff evaluation are to determine how many fatalities and injuries are prevented by Standard 214, to measure the actual cost of the standard, to assess cost effectiveness and to describe the actual crash performance of equipment installed in response to the standard. The evaluation is based on statistical analyses of the Fatal Accident Reporting System and National Crash Severity Study data, cost analyses of production beam assemblies and a review of staged crash tests. It was found that: * Standard 214 eliminates 480 fatalities and 4,500 nonfatal hospitalizations per year in side impacts with fixed objects. The standard has brought about significantly shallower and wider damage patterns and has reduced occupant ejection in these crashes. * Standard 214 eliminates 4900 nonfatal hospitalizations per year in vehicle-to-vehicle side impacts but has not reduced fatalities in these crashes. Door intrusion was significantly reduced. * Standard 214 has added $61 (in 1982 dollars) to the lifetime cost of owning and operating a car. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting