Essential Considerations in Delta-V Determination

While Delta-V has been one of the most used indicators of accident severity for vehicle occupants, its actual determination remains a mystery to many who refer to it and use it. Delta-V is a term of art applied to a rapid change in vehicle velocity caused by impact forces during a collision. The Delta-V is associated with the high decelerations, which cause it and are applied to the occupants through restraint systems and collisions with the interior of the vehicle.

This paper will serve as a primer for those new to the subject and a review for those who are familiar with the subject. Previous works by the authors will be referenced and other pertinent literature and data sources will be discussed. The analytical methods and test data used to calculate Delta-V will be presented and the relationship between Delta-V and other measures of impact severity, such as Barrier Equivalent Velocity and Energy Equivalent Speed will be discussed. The use of air bag sensor data will be included. The paper will discuss how various parameters and variables can affect the Delta-V, such as relative mass and stiffness of vehicles in vehicle-to-vehicle collisions, the collision geometry and the pre-impact motions of the vehicles.