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The process of design inherently involves consideration of risk trade offs; intervening to reduce one risk often increases another. In addition to creating a design for the intended function of the product, a rational process of risk management involves prediction of risk through design analysis, statistical evaluation of the history of similar products, and potentially multidisciplinary teams to address diverse causes of risk. As a case study, this paper examines the benefits of using one class of fire retardant to reduce risk of vehicle fire injuries and the countervailing health risk due to increased quantities of fire retardants released in the interior environment. Data sources for fire and health risk were researched and interpreted for use in the analysis. Information needed to reduce the uncertainties in the risk predictions are identified for future refinements to the conclusions.

Strategies for the inoculation of bioreactors for long-term space missions include communities of diverse composition or, alternatively, communities of a few organisms selected for their ability to efficiently catalyze reactions of interest in the reactor. The concept of functional redundancy states that in a diverse community, several different organisms may be present that are capable of effecting processes necessary to the maintenance of the system function. The concept implies that if some members of the community are lost, others will be able to keep the system from failing in the critical reactions that take place therein. In a sewage reactor in the laboratory, a diverse community at steady state was perturbed by elimination of aeration for seven days. Chemical pools (NH4+, NO3-, dissolved O2), pH, and CO2 evolution were monitored before, during, and after the perturbation.

Pedestrian impact protection has been a growing area of research over the past twenty or more years. The results from many studies have shown the importance of providing protection to vulnerable road users as a means of reducing roadway fatalities. Most of this research has focused on the vehicle fleet as a whole in datasets that are dominated by passenger cars (cars). Historically, the influence of vehicle body type on injury distribution patterns for pedestrians has not been a primary research focus. In this study we used the Pedestrian Crash Data Study (PCDS) database of detailed pedestrian crash investigations to identify how injury patterns differ for pedestrians struck by light trucks, vans, and sport utility vehicles (LTVs) from those struck by cars. AIS 2+ and 3+ injuries for each segment of vehicles were mapped back to both the body region of the pedestrian injured and the vehicle source linked to that injury in the PCDS database.

Over the past decade, there has been an increase in awareness and concern about the occurrence and long-term effects of concussions. Traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related emergency department (ED) visits associated with motor vehicle collisions, including patients with a diagnosis of concussion or mild TBI (mTBI), have increased while deaths and hospital admissions related to TBI have decreased. The diagnostic criteria for concussion have evolved and broadened, and based on current assessments and diagnostic imaging techniques, there are often no objective findings, yet a diagnosis of concussion may still be rendered. Clinical assessment of concussion may be based only on patient-reported symptoms and history, making it difficult to objectively relate the reported increase in TBI-related ED visits due to motor vehicle collisions to specific collision parameters.

Decades after their introduction, seat belts remain the most important safety innovation in automotive history. Seat belt usage remains the single most effective way to minimize the risk of injury or death in severe crash events. Despite having matured, seat belts continue to evolve and improve and are expected to play an equally critical role in future passenger vehicles as increasing automation leads to changes in occupant compartment design and occupant-to-vehicle interaction. In this paper, an overview of major technical milestones in the development of seat belts is presented, ranging from the earliest lap belts to today’s systems that seamlessly synthesize and integrate information from a variety of sensors to prepare the restraints for an imminent crash. A brief overview of contemporary regulatory events is also provided, illustrating how regulatory actions have followed and occasionally driven the development and proliferation of various aspects of occupant restraints.

Occupant kinematics during rollover motor vehicle collisions have been investigated over the past thirty years utilizing Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATDs) in various test methodologies such as dolly rollover tests, CRIS testing, spin-fixture testing, and ramp-induced rollovers. Recent testing has utilized steer maneuver-induced furrow tripped rollovers to gain further understanding of vehicle kinematics, including the vehicle's pre-trip motion. The current study consisted of two rollover tests utilizing instrumented test vehicles and instrumented ATDs to investigate occupant kinematics and injury response throughout the entire rollover sequences, from pre-trip vehicle motion to the position of rest. The two steer maneuver-induced furrow tripped rollover tests utilized a mid-sized 4-door sedan and a full-sized crew-cab pickup truck. The pickup truck was equipped with seatbelt pretensioners and rollover-activated side curtain airbags (RSCAs).