Addressing Safety Belt Discomfort Among Female Driving Population Through Data Collection and Simulation

The rate of female drivers in India is increasing alongside the rapid growth of the Indian automotive industry. A driving comfort survey conducted among female drivers revealed that many experiences dis-comfort when wearing Safety belts-whether while driving or as front-seat passengers. This discomfort is primarily due to a phenomenon referred to as "neck cutting." The root cause of neck cutting is likely related to vehicle design, which is traditionally based on Anthropometric Test Devices (ATD's) representing the 5th, 50th & 95th percentile (%tile) of the global population. However, a literature review indicated that the anthropometric dimensions of the Indian populations are generally smaller than those of the global for the respective candidate. This highlighted the need to collect region-specific anthropometric data for India. To validate the neck-cutting issue, various female candidates were asked to sit in the Driver's seat for physical measurements trials. Accordingly, methodology was developed to quantify neck cutting parameters objectively. A correlation study was performed to align virtual simulation results with physical trials outcomes, to fine-tune the virtual methodology. Based on the findings, few recommendations were suggested which were evaluated against its effect on existing relevant standards