Comparison of Rear Impact Crash Reconstructions to Event Data Recorders in the Crash Investigation Sampling System Database

This article compares the results of automotive accident reconstructions to event data recorder (EDR) data from vehicles involved in rear-end collisions. Accident reconstructions in the Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS) database calculate crash severity expressed as the impact-related change in velocity (delta-V) experienced by a vehicle. The accuracy of the CISS-reconstructed delta-V in rear impacts was assessed by comparison to the delta-V recorded during the crash by the EDR on board the rear-ended vehicles. The CISS database was searched for single rear impact cases with a CISS-reconstructed delta-V as well as an EDR download. A total of 256 cases met these criteria. On average, the CISS-reconstructed delta-V was 4.0% lower than the delta-V recorded by the EDR. The accuracy of the CISS reconstructions varied with crash configuration, vehicle type, collision partner, and crash severity. Crash severity had the largest effect on accuracy, with low-speed reconstructions overestimating the EDR delta-V by 36% on average.