Ejection Mitigation in Rollover Events - Component Test Development

Although rollover crashes represent a small fraction (approximately 3%) of all motor vehicle crashes, they account for roughly one quarter of crash fatalities to occupants of cars, light trucks, and vans (NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts, 2004(1)). Therefore, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified rollover injuries as one of its safety priorities. Motor vehicle manufacturers are developing technologies to reduce the risk of injury associated with rollover collisions.

During a series of rollover sensor development tests conducted by General Motors, data was collected and analyzed to identify the required load and energy absorption characteristics of the ejection mitigation device used. General Motors then derived from that data a component level test that can be used to evaluate the potential of a rollover capable side air bag to mitigate the likelihood of ejection in a majority of rollover tests. This paper describes the development of the component level test as well as a subsequent assessment of the test parameters in a fixture-level evaluation.