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Estimation of driver fatality ratio using computational modeling and objective measures based on vehicle intrusion ratio in head-on collisions
Setpally, Rajarshi
Setpally, Rajarshi
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2010-12
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Electronic dissertations
Electronic dissertations
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Abstract
In the last decade, the increase in usage of light trucks and vans (LTVs) has resulted in an
increase in fatal injuries to the occupants of passenger cars for truck-car accidents, because of the
aggressive nature of LTVs. To study the aggressive behavior of LTVs, National Traffic Highway
Safety Administration (NHTSA) has developed an aggressivity metric (AM) for different
vehicles in a specific impact configuration. These AM however does not produce consistent
estimates when specific vehicle-to-vehicle impact categories are studied. Hence, NHTSA has
introduced a Driver Fatality Ratio (DFR), based on the Fatality Analysis Reporting System
(FARS) and General Estimating System (GES) crash Involvement statistics, which has produced
good estimates of the aggressive behavior of vehicles in crashes.
The DFR proposed by NHTSA is based on the statistical data, which makes it difficult to
evaluate DFR for other vehicle categories (e.g., crossovers, etc.), which are relatively new in the
market as they do not have sufficient crash statistics. This research work proposes a new
methodology based on computational reconstruction of impact crashes and objective measures to
predict the DFR for any vehicle. The objective measures considered include the ratios of
maximum intrusion, peak acceleration, and weight for the two vehicles in head-on collisions.
Factors which directly influence fatal injuries to the occupants are identified and studied to
develop a relation between these objective measures to the DFR. The proposed method is then
validated for a range of LTVs against a passenger car, and is then used to predict the DFR for a
cross category vehicle, a light pick-up truck, and a full-size car. Factors which influence these
objective measures in predicting the DFR are discussed. Results from this study indicate that the
ratio of intrusions produces a better estimate of the DFR and can be utilized in predicting fatality
ratios for head-on collisions.
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Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.
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Wichita State University
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Copyright Rajarshi Setpally, 2010. All rights reserved