Human Subject Responses to Repeated Low Speed Impacts Using Utility Vehicles

Adult volunteers occupied vans and pickup trucks in a series of repeated low speed aligned front and rear collisions. Occupant response was examined and compared to our physician test volunteer's subjective evaluation of the level of induced disturbance. The data base correlating collision severity with damage has been expanded to include vehicles equipped with rigidly mounted bumper assemblies. A procedure is proposed to predict the severity of collisions (a parameter critical in evaluating injury potential) using data from repeated low speed impacts. No injuries were reported by our test volunteers indicating the test conditions were at a level where the potential for injury is remote.