Prioritization of Crash Scenarios for Pre-Crash Sensing Applications

Crash scenarios are prioritized for crash-imminent braking and advanced restraint applications aimed at reducing injuries when the crash becomes unavoidable using forward-looking pre-crash sensors. Characteristics of priority crash scenarios will form a basis for the development of performance specifications and test procedures for these two applications. Target crashes involve at least one light vehicle (passenger car, van or minivan, light pickup truck, or sport utility vehicle) of model year 1998 or higher with frontal damage from the first impact. Crash prioritization is based on the number of fatalities and functional years lost. Data sources include the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, General Estimates System, and Crashworthiness Data System. Crash scenarios are broken down by vehicle-object and vehicle-vehicle crashes. Pedestrian, pole, or tree impacts prevail in vehicle-object crashes. Dominant vehicle-vehicle crash scenarios include opposite direction and rear-end pre-crash scenarios with front-to-front and front-to-back impacts, respectively.