eSafety Compendium

4.2.2 Truck accidents with killed or severely injured occupants in thepassenger car involvedTruck-car accidents in which occupants of the car are killed or severely injured form thelargest category overall. This is related to the fact that, in all European countries, by far mostof the vehicles on the roads are passenger cars, with a correspondingly high probability ofaccidents involving passenger cars, of all levels of severity. Along with the large mass of thetruck, other factors involved include the geometrical incompatibility between these vehiclesin terms of their ladder-type frame structures. If the car passes underneath the truck at thetime of the collision, the passenger car safety design feature to maintain a survival space forthe occupants, e.g. the crash zone or mechanical side protection, is not able to perform itsfunction. In accidents of this type, the impacting parts of the truck are forced downwardsthrough the windshield into the inside of the car. In such cases, fatal consequences for theoccupants can occur even at relatively low collision speeds.Our analyses of the case records and accident data identified seven accident scenarios as themain situations leading to killed or severely injured car occupants, see Fig. 4.5.B.Car Occupants67810911Truck- car collision,oncoming trafficTruck front vs. carfront,Truck- car collision,oncoming trafficTruck front vs. carsideTruck- car collision,traffic ahead in samedirectionTruck front vs. carrearTruck- car collision,traffic ahead in samedirectionCar front vs. truckrearS E D IVolvo Cidaut DEKRA IVECO30% 19% 19% 21%5% 27% 19% 11%15% 16% 11%15%12% 6% 10%Truck- car collision,intersectionTruck front vs. carside15% 6% 18%Truck- car collision,1%intersectionCar front vs. truckside12% 13% 9%12Truck- car collision,lane change accidentTruck side vs. carside10% 7% 6% 9%B1 Other 32% 15% 11%Fig. 4.5 Prominent scenarios for car-truck accidents with killed or severely injured caroccupants.Page 245 of 490