Improvements in the fronto-frontal collision between personal vehicle (pv) and heavy duty vehicle (hdv).

This paper briefly reports tests carried out under the HDV Virages programme with the aim at reducing the severity of head-on collisions between cars and lorries. The impact tests were carried out between an instrumented Renault R9 car with 2 dummies, and the simulated front part of the experimental HDV Virages, using a R310.19T tractor for purposes of comparison. The tests were run at 3 different speeds, and allowed evaluation of injuries to the head, using the Head Injury Criterion (HIC), the maximum thorax acceleration and the strain in the thighbone. A number of improvements to the experimental vehicle Virages resulted from these tests. For the covering abstract of the conference, see IRRD 837684.