Abstract
Keywords
Buses; XL Meter; Dynamic Load Affecting the Passengers; Deceleration
Abstract
While roaming in Europe, one can observe similarity of the traffic rules and dissimilarity of the culture underlying the traffic systems. In either country, the traffic habits have, for the most part, developed depending on the mentality of participants of the daily traffic. Notwithstanding, both the quantity and quality of the road network and the technical conditions of the vehicles operated in a country play a significant role. None of these factors has reached a satisfactory level in Budapest where 20 % of the total Hungarian population lives, 25 % of all vehicles is operated and 33 % of all the traffic accidents involving personal injury occur. More or less, each participant of the daily traffic is exposed to these effects (mentality, road network, technical condition). However, the experience gathered by the author, in his capacity of being a forensic expert, highlighted the lack of attention paid to passengers who have no choice but travel standing in overcrowded buses without the protection provided by a safety belt and having, in most cases, very limited access to handstraps available to cling to.The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the results of a study sponsored by DEKRAExpert Ltd. (Hungary) and Inventure Ltd. In the first part, we shall focus on comprehensive measurements designed to measure velocity changes in three directions, experienced inside articulated buses under certain traffic situations. Traffic situations were video recorded and the velocity change signals produced by the XL Meter developed by Inventure Ltd. were synchronized with the video-tape. The signals enabled us to determine the dynamic load affecting the passengers standing in different sections of the bus and clinging to straps. We wanted to establish the best behavioral patterns and driving techniques the bus drivers should adopt in order to prevent that the dynamic load affecting the passengers exceed a physically tolerable limit value. In the second part of the study we tried to identify modifications to the design of the IKARUS buses (the most frequently operated model in Budapest) needed to prevent even minor injuries potentially suffered by a passenger who happens to tumble down in a braking or cornering bus.