Abstract
Keywords: Pedestrian Protection; Passive Safety; Advanced Body Design; Front End Module; Future Legislation; Vehicle Safety; Airbags; Impact Absorption; SUV; 4x4.
Testing carried out by MIRA, the world leading test facility, has shown that a new energy absorbing Frontal Protection System mounted on large SUV / 4 x 4 vehicles will significantly improve their performance in the event of front end collisions with pedestrians and cyclists.
This document sets out the reasons for the testing programme, the test methods including the choice of vehicles, the detailed test results and the conclusions drawn.
In summary, the tests were based on the requirements of Directive 2005/66/EC relating to the use of frontal protection systems on motor vehicles. The tests results show that the pedestrian safety performance of the base vehicles were exceeded by a significant degree and that the addition of the FPS as a separate technical unit enabled the vehicle to meet and exceed the test requirements laid out in the Directive.
The tests were carried out using a prototype product developed by Concept Mouldings and indicate (based on TRL benchmark report 460) that the use of frontal protection systems of this type have the potential to improve the pedestrian injury risk of a wide range of vehicles of this type.
The potential cost benefits of introducing these products to the market in the near future are likely to be very significant given that the vehicle Directive for pedestrian safety will not apply to all new vehicles until 2012, with the result that non-compliant vehicles will remain in the European vehicle fleet for many years, until at least 2017 and possibly as late as 2022.
The energy absorbing capabilities demonstrated by this prototype FPS STU indicate that the system has the potential to make a major contribution to road safety (by reducing pedestrian deaths and serious injuries) both as an aftermarket product and as an integral feature of vehicle design. Future development, with specific vehicles in mind, is likely to result in further improvement in the performance of these products.