Front end collision tests need to consider “small overlap” crashes

Researchers conducting front-end crash tests need to focus on “small overlap” collision tests, which involve 20% or less of the vehicle’s front end, in addition to full-width crash tests, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says.
The IIHS analyzed 2000-06 case files from the National Automotive Sampling System/Crashworthiness Data System on frontal crashes in which 116 drivers and right-front passengers were seriously injured or killed.
These deaths occurred even though the drivers and passengers were using safety belts, and despite the good rankings for frontal crash protection earned by the majority of vehicle models involved in the collisions.
“We found that a lot of frontal crashes are happening in configurations that aren’t represented in crash tests being conducted right now, either by us or by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,” said David Zuby, IIHS senior vice president for vehicle research and an author of the study.
“Automakers design vehicles to perform well in these tests, so we wanted to explore if other kinds of frontal tests could address the life-threatening injuries that occur in the field.”
Twenty-four per cent of the study cases were the result of small overlap collisions, the IIHS report in its recent Status Report.  These were most common among crashes in which intrusion contributed to injuries.
“Few vehicles have energy-absorbing structures that extend to the edges of the front end, and this may be why so many small overlap crashes involved intrusion into the occupant space,” the IIHS reported.
“Instead, more metal is concentrated toward the centres of vehicles, which helps limit intrusion in centre impacts with things like trees, posts and utility poles.”
By using small overlap tests, “this would help spur vehicle designs with beefed up structural protection across the full width of the outer corners,” Zuby said. “It would also result in better protection for some occupants in moderate overlap and full-width crashes.”