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Occupant Safety and Damageability Considerations Related to the 1974 Automobile Bumpers
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English
Abstract
This paper reports on research which examined the effectiveness of 1974 automobile bumpers in terms of occupant safety and automobile damageability. Static and dynamic tests were performed by attaching a height measuring device on the front and rear bumpers of 1974 domestic automobiles. The static test results showed effective bumper height match. The dynamic test results showed that 21% of bumpers could mismatch when the rear (colliding) vehicle is pitched due to braking and 77% of bumpers could mismatch when both vehicles are pitched due to braking.
Occupant safety is discussed in terms of both the positive and negative effects of the new bumpers for all collision speeds. The effect on override/underride collision frequency and passive restraint (air bag) system activation is examined. The tradeoffs of decreased frequency of damage to vehicles and increased costs to replace the new bumpers when they are damaged in high speed collisions are discussed.
Conclusions are that any resultant gain in occupant safety as a result of the new bumpers is debatable and that there are no significant overall economic gains at this time. In addition, existing regulations that will become operative in the near future do not appear to provide an effective solution because of the multiplicity of factors which are involved.
Authors
Citation
Appleby, M., "Occupant Safety and Damageability Considerations Related to the 1974 Automobile Bumpers," SAE Technical Paper 740989, 1974, https://doi.org/10.4271/740989.Also In
References
- Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 215 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1972
- California Vehicle Code, 1972 Edition
- Insurance Institute for Highway Safety February 1974
- Economic Analysis of the Exterior Protection Standard, FMVSS 215 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1971
- Hughey, M. Stanley Comments to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding the proposed bumper standard Kemper Insurance Co. 1973
- Segal Leonard Univ. of Michigan, Highway Safety Research Institute January 1974
- Appleby M. R. Morris A. G. R. “Automobile Damageability and Insurance Costs.” Paper 740305 SAE Southern California Section Los Angeles May 1973
- Laboratory Test Procedures, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Appleby M. R. Bischoff D. C. Siegel A. W. Nahum A. M. “Injuries in Underride-Override Collisions-A Clinical Study.” SAE Transactions 79 1970 paper 700483
- Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 301 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Bumper Standard, Federal Register 38 149 August 3 1973
- “Automobile Insurance Losses, Collision Coverages-Initial Results for 1973 Models Compared with 1972 Models.” Highway Loss Data Institute, Research Report R73-1 September 1973