PRIORITIES FOR EU MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY DESIGN

elements that claim to reduce injury must pass through a comprehensive test programme in
compliance with ISO Standard 13232.
While improvements to helmets and increasing use has more than halved the incidence of
head injuries in the last thirty years, helmet use rates still need to be increased further.
ETSC welcomes the EU Council of Ministers resolution inviting the Commission to introduce
a compulsory helmet use Directive. Accident studies show that the major body regions for
injury risk beside the head are the leg, shoulder, elbows, and pelvis.
b) Motorcycle leg protection
Injuries to the legs of the motorcyclist occur in approximately 80% of all accidents. However,
the kinematics differ depending on the type of collision.
In all collisions in which the motorcyclist is hit in the side by a car or other party, the forces
involved impact the legs directly. Leg protectors could help to reduce such injuries. Studies
show different possibilities for optimising leg protection (Otte, 1994). In collisions in which the
motorcyclist crashes into another party, there is only a secondary impact of force on the
legs. In this case, the head and upper torso are the first to make contact with the other party.
In this situation, crash test results have indicated that motorcycle leg protectors, while
effectively protecting the lower extremities, could have a negative effect on the risk of head
injury as it influences the path of movement. The problem arises where there is expectation
that the safety measure can protect in all cases.
Studies with airbags have been carried out in the past (Sporner et al, 1990; Sporner, 2000)
and the development of airbag systems for the motorcycle should be continued.
Safety can only be increased by several measures that do not have a mutually negative
effect. If the motorcyclist is prevented from falling prior to the collision by an active safety
element such as ABS, for instance, the severity of injury is reduced, since the motorcyclist
collides with the other party in an upright position and the effect of seat height and body
position make it possible for the motorcyclist to be thrown over the obstacle.
Recommendations:
Further research is urgently needed:
• to determine seating positions with a relatively high seat elevation and upright body
position to reduce the possibility of entrapment of the lower extremities
• to provide leg protection to protect the wearer from the impact of external forces and
to serve as an element that affects the trajectory in a positive way
• to develop suitable airbags to provide riders with protection in frontal impacts
3.4. LIGHT VANS AND MINIBUSES
Vans, meaning the larger N1 vehicles that are not car-derived, and minibuses share several
features in common. When supplied by the manufacturer rather than being a conversion
they may be based on the same body-shell and drive-train. This means they also share a
number of features that concern the crash and its outcomes.
Both classes of vehicles will typically have a mass, stiffness and height advantage when in
collision with cars and as a result impacts with cars impose a lower level of risk to the van
and minibus occupants. Figure 12 shows the collision partner and impact direction for the
group of van occupants sustaining serious (MAIS2+) or fatal injuries.
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