Comparative Study of Road Accidents in Iceland and Side Impact Compatibility

A compatibility study of fatal traffic accidents in Iceland indicates that compatibility is an issue in 70 percent of all fatal car to car collisions, or in 28 percent of all fatal traffic accidents.

Overriding is a dominant factor both in head on and side impact collisions but mass and stiffness incompatibility were also identified. In 50 percent of all fatal side impacts the impacting vehicle had a height of force well above the sill height, all resulting in fatal injuries above the abdomen.

Geometrical crash incompatibility is more evident in side impacts than in a frontal collision. The side of the occupant compartment does neither have a crush zone nor provide sufficient stiffness above the sill against intrusion in relatively harsh collisions. A static finite element analysis reveals a rapid decrease in stiffness of the B-post as a function of height. Two impact beam bars between the hinges and two locks on the B-post provide tensile load bridges to the A-post. Consequently, this results in extra stiffness against compartment intrusion compared to one impact beam. This design improvement has good injury mitigation potential in side impacts.