Experimental and Mathematical Simulation of Pedestrian-Vehicle and Cyclist-Vehicle Accidents

In several European countries, unprotected road users form a significant proportion of road accident casualties. The Research Institute for Road Vehicles TNO has started a long-term research program on pedestrian and cyclist safety. Up to now, 38 full-scale dummy tests with simulated vehicle fronts and real passenger cars were performed. Furthermore, 3D mathematical model simulations were conducted with the MADYMO Crash Victim Simulation (CVS) package. A part of the program is presented in this paper. The influence of vehicle geometry and speed on pedestrian and cyclist kinematics in a lateral impact is shown, as well as the influence of bicycle mass and speed. The results of cyclist and pedestrian tests will be compared with each other.