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A series of rollover tests was conducted in a real-world environment in which a vehicle was driven or towed to highway speed then steered to induce a rollover. This research presents analysis of the rollover phase of five tests. In each test, the steering maneuver was initiated on-pavement, and the rollover was caused by tire-to-ground interaction. Tests included vehicles that tripped both on-pavement and on soil. Four tests ended with the vehicle at rest off-road, and one ended with the vehicle remaining on the pavement. A programmable remote control radio was used to steer the vehicles through a double-step steer maneuver to result in a rollover. The test vehicles were instrumented and data was collected during each test, including steering, suspension motion, rotational rates, and accelerations. A Global Positioning System (GPS) speed sensor (VBOX III manufactured by Racelogic) was used to monitor the vehicle speed. Data from all tests is presented in the Appendix .

The forces applied through the steering column were measured during low speed rear-end crash tests with human subjects where the delta V ranged from 8.5 to 11.6 km/h. Control tests measured the steering column forces without occupant contact. Each occupant was subjected to at least one test where they were unaware at the time of impact, and one test where they were braced and aware of the impending collision. Test results showed that, in the unaware tests, none of the subjects maintained a controlled grip on the steering wheel. All subjects reestablished a controlled grip on the steering wheel between approximately 0.5 and 2 seconds following impact. Results of the control test allowed for discrimination between the inertial loading from the steering wheel and the loading applied to the steering wheel by the upper extremities for unaware subjects during the initial tensile phase of the steering column loading.

Automotive Event Data Recorders (EDRs) are often utilized to determine or validate the severity of vehicle collisions. Several studies have been conducted to determine the accuracy of the longitudinal change in velocity (ΔV) reported by vehicle EDRs. However, little has been published regarding the measurement of EDRs that are capable of reporting lateral ΔVs in low-speed collisions. In this study, two 2007 Toyota Camrys with 04EDR ECU Generation modules (GEN2) were each subjected to several vehicle-to-vehicle lateral impacts. The impact angles ranged from approximately 45 to 135 degrees and the stationary target vehicles were impacted at the frontal, central, and rear aspects of both the driver and passenger sides. The impact locations on the bullet vehicles were the front and rear bumpers and the impact speeds ranged from approximately 7.9 to 16.1 km/h.

Six human volunteer subjects were used to analyze the effects of normal braking compared to forceful braking in non-impact stationary, non-impact dynamic, and vehicle-to-vehicle impact conditions. For the non-impact conditions, each volunteer performed normal and hard braking maneuvers with the vehicle stationary and in motion. Vehicle dynamics and occupant kinematics were measured during impacts and brake pedal force and displacement were measured in all conditions using a non-ABS equipped vehicle. A series of twelve low speed rear-end crash tests were conducted with the same six human volunteers. Each volunteer was subjected to two rear-end impacts with an impact speed of approximately 12 km/h. In the first test, each volunteer was asked to apply the brake as though they were stopped at a stop light, and they were unaware at the time of impact.

Accurately quantifying the severity of minor vehicle-to-vehicle impacts has commonly been achieved by utilizing the Momentum Energy Restitution (MER) method. A review of the scientific literature revealed investigations assessing the efficacy of the MER method primarily for: 1) inline rear-end impacts, 2) offset rear-end impacts, and 3) side impacts configured with the bullet vehicle striking the target vehicle at an approximate 90° angle. To date, the utility of the MER method has not been thoroughly examined and readily published for quantifying oblique side impacts. The aim of the current study was to analyze the effectiveness of the MER method for predicting the severity of side impacts at varying angles. Data were collected over a series of 12 tests with bullet-to-target-vehicle contact angles ranging from approximately 45° to 315° with corresponding impact speeds of approximately 12.5 km/h (7.8 mph) to 16.1 km/h (10.0 mph).