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A link between occupant and vehicle accelerations during common driving tasks.
Anne C Mathias1, Peggy A Shibata, James K Sprague
1Engineering Systems, Inc.
Biomedical Sciences Instrumentation
|November 19, 2014
Summary
This study quantifies driver accelerations during common driving tasks, finding peak body accelerations under 1.2 g. These findings help correlate vehicle and occupant motions without collisions.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Automotive Engineering
- Human Factors
Background:
- Understanding occupant motion during driving is crucial for vehicle safety.
- Establishing a correlation between vehicle dynamics and occupant acceleration is desirable.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a methodology for quantifying driver accelerations.
- To compare driver accelerations with associated vehicle motions during non-collision events.
Main Methods:
- Acceleration measurements were taken at the driver's seat, head, cervical spine, and lumbar spine.
- Six distinct non-collision driving tasks were performed, including curb mounting, railroad crossing, rough road driving, heavy braking, roller passage, and tire drop.
Main Results:
- Peak resultant accelerations across all tasks were of similar magnitude.
- Peak body accelerations remained below 1.2 g, with specific examples including 0.82 g lumbar acceleration during heavy braking and 0.88 g head acceleration during curb mounting.
- Measured accelerations were comparable to or lower than those experienced during non-driving activities like sitting quickly.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a scientific basis for understanding accelerations experienced by vehicle occupants.
- A potential exists to relate vehicle and occupant accelerations during everyday driving scenarios that do not involve collisions.
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