James R. Hackney

THE NEW CAR ASSESSMENT PROGRAM: HAS IT LED TO STIFFER LIGHT TRUCKS AND VANS OVER THE YEARS?

In the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) frontal crash tests, vehicles are crashed at 35 mph such that the entire front impacts against a rigid, fixed barrier. Instrumented anthropometric dummies are placed in the driver and right front passenger seats. Accelerometers are placed on the vehicle to record the response of the structure during the crash. In this paper, the acceleration data from accelerometers in the occupant compartment and from the dummies are analyzed to determine: (1) the trend of total stiffness or aggressivity characteristics of light trucks and vans (LTVs) since model year 1983; (2) the trend of the approximate linear stiffness of LTVs during the first 200 mm of crush since model year 1983; and (3) the effect of these structural characteristics on the NCAP safety ratings.

THE NEW CAR ASSESSMENT PROGRAM: HISTORICAL REVIEW AND EFFECT

This report is a condensed version of the December 1993 New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) report to Congress and provides: an historical review and future goals for NCAP; the results of an 18- month study to assess consumer and media needs in understanding and promoting the use of NCAP data. This included consumer focus groups and media studies. These studies indicated that consumers and the media desire comparative safety information on vehicles, a simplified NCAP format to better understand and utilize the crash test results, and would like to see NCAP expanded to include other crash modes; and studies of real-world crashes versus NCAP crash tests. These studies conclude that NCAP test conditions approximate real-world crash conditions covering a major segment of the frontal crash safety problem and that there is a significant correlation between NCAP results and real-world fatality risks for restrained drivers. (A) For the covering abstract see IRRD 874898.

UPPER NECK RESPONSE OF THE BELT AND AIR BAG RESTRAINED 50TH PERCENTILE HYBRID III DUMMY IN THE USA'S NEW CAR ASSESSMENT PROGRAM

Since 1984, the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has compiled upper neck loads for the belt and air bag restrained 50th percentile male Hybrid III dummy. Over 5 years, in frontal crash tests, NCAP collected upper neck data for 118 passenger cars and 78 light trucks and vans. This paper examines this data and attempts to assess the potential for neck injury based on injury criteria included in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208 (the optional sled test). This paper also examines the extent of serious neck injury in actual crashes as reported in the National Automotive Sampling System. Results suggest that serious neck injuries do occur at higher speeds for crashes involving occupants restrained by belts in passenger cars. Results also suggest that neck tension and extension can reach levels in the NCAP frontal crash tests that are higher than those allowed in FMVSS No. 208. Neck tension and extension are generally higher in light trucks and vans than in passenger cars. When neck responses are examined as a function of the Head Injury Criterion for driver and passenger dummies, no correlation is found.