The University of Adelaide CENTRE FOR AUTOMOTIVE SAFETY RESEARCH

home   /   centre for automotive safety research   /   Publications   /   List   /   Details

Publication Details

TitleProposed vehicle impact speed - severe injury probability relationships for selected crash types
AuthorsJurewicz C, Sobhani A, Woolley JE, Dutschke JK, Corben B
Year2015
TypeConference Paper
AbstractSpeed is recognised as a key contributor to crash likelihood and severity, and to road safety performance in general. Its fundamental role has been recognised by making Safe Speeds one of the four pillars of the Safe System. In this context, impact speeds above which humans are likely to sustain fatal injuries have been accepted as a reference in many Safe System infrastructure policy and planning discussions. To date, there have been no proposed relationships for impact speeds above which humans are likely to sustain fatal or serious (severe) injury, a more relevant Safe System measure.

A research project on Safe System intersection design required a critical review of published literature on the relationship between impact speed and probability of injury. This has led to a number of questions being raised about the origins, accuracy and appropriateness of the currently accepted impact speed–fatality probability relationships (Wramborg 2005) in many policy documents. The literature review identified alternative, more recent and more precise relationships derived from the US crash reconstruction databases (NASS/CDS).

The paper proposes for discussion a set of alternative relationships between vehicle impact speed and probability of MAIS3+ (fatal and serious) injury for selected common crash types. Proposed Safe System critical impact speed values are also proposed for use in road infrastructure assessment. The paper presents the methodology and assumptions used in developing these relationships. It identifies further research needed to confirm and refine these relationships. Such relationships would form valuable inputs into future road safety policies in Australia and New Zealand.

Conference NameAustralasian Road Safety Conference
Conference AbbreviationARSC
Conference LocationGold Coast, Queensland
Conference Date14-16 October 2015

Reference
Jurewicz C, Sobhani A, Woolley JE, Dutschke JK, Corben B (2015). Proposed vehicle impact speed - severe injury probability relationships for selected crash types. Australasian Road Safety Conference, Gold Coast, Queensland, 14-16 October 2015.


Files Available for Download
CASRProposed-VehicleImpact-Speed1597.pdfFinal version of paper as published on USB