Violence of fatal car-to-car side collisions and vulnerability of population at risk : a challenge of real-world accidents.

THE AUTHORS PRESENT STATISTICAL DATA ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF COLLISION TYPES IN SIDE IMPACT FATAL ACCIDENTS. A STUDY IS MADE OF (1) THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE AGES OF THE MOTORISTS INVOLVED AND THE CONFIGURATION OF SIDE IMPACT COLLISIONS AND (2) THE AGES OF FATALITIES AND VIOLENCE OF IMPACT. AN ATTEMPT IS MADE TO CALCULATE THE PROPORTION OF FATALITIES WHICH COULD BE PREVENTED BY COUNTERMEASURES, BY ESTABLISHING THE PERMISSIBLE CRITICAL TOLERANCE TO IMPACT OF THE POPULATION AT RISK. AS THE CALCULATION OF THIS CRITICAL TOLERANCE IS SUBJECT TO ERRORS, THE AUTHORS SUGGEST THAT IT IS SIMPLER TO CONSIDER ONLY THE CHANGE OF VELOCITY AT IMPACT (DELTA V) FOR THE CAR PASSENGER. EXAMPLES OF CALCULATION ARE GIVEN AND DISCUSSED. FOR THE COVERING ABSTRACT OF THE CONFERENCE SEE IRRD 802816.