european union ageing europe: implications for eu policy vehicle safety adrian hobbs/ murray mackay

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EUROPEAN UNION

Ageing Europe: Implications for EU Policy

Vehicle Safety

Adrian Hobbs/ Murray Mackay

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The Ageing Road User

• Living longer

• More mobile

• Greater wealth

• Downsizing to smaller cars

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Vulnerability to Injury

• Reduced bone strength

• Osteoporosis

• Female from 45 - 50 years

• Male from 55 - 60 years

• Main bones affected

• Ribs

• Upper and Lower Limbs

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Vulnerability to Injury

• Less flexible spine

• Inter-vertebral disc degeneration

• Increased susceptibility to injury

Also

• Reduced movement

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Vision & Perception

• Reduced visual acuity

• Particularly at dusk

• Perception errors

• Looked but didn’t see

• Particularly two-wheelers

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Recovery from Injury

• Slow recovery

• Risk of complications

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External Influences

• Downsizing to smaller cars

• Higher seat belt forces

• Use of thicker clothing

• Seat belt slack

• Travelling in the rear seat

• Poor seat belt geometry

• Lack of pretensioners

• Lack of load limiters

• Absence of airbags

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Injury Risk

• Three times more likely to die in frontal or side impact

• 286 % increase in aged fatalities predicted

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Implications for Vehicle Design

• Safer car fronts

• Older pedestrian casualties - 50% of pedestrian deaths in OECD countries

• On arterial roads

• Unsuitable for pedestrianisation

• Unsuitable for traffic calming

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Implications for Vehicle Design

• EU Directive on safer car fronts

• High level of protection required by the EU Treaty

• Needs to implement with certainty the state-of-the-art EEVC crash tests, used by EuroNCAP since 1996

• EU Savings: up to 2000 lives for additional costs at design stage @ 30 euros per car

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Implications for Vehicle Design

• Improved compatibility

• Good early structural interaction

• Improved deceleration pulse Shape

• Improved protection in small cars

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Implications for Vehicle Design

• Day running lights

• Visibility of two-wheelers to aid perception