Ten-year review of BMW Accident Research Program-investigated cases

Over the past 10 years, the BMW Accident Research Program (ARP) has investigated how and why occupants are injured in motor vehicle crashes by reconstructing the crash. This research discusses the 2006-2017 ARP case study methodology and comprehensively describes the cases investigated over the past decade.

Accident research program cases are selected according to emerging trends and issues identified by BMW. Driver interviews, inspection approvals, police reports, and medical records are obtained. ARP case investigations involve a multidisciplinary team of engineers, automobile crash experts, and a trauma team. For each case, the team reconstructs the crash and explores in detail the crash characteristics, injury outcomes, as well as case significance and countermeasures that could have prevented the crash or mitigated the severity of the crash or injuries sustained.

The ARP investigated 476 BMW-involved crashes between 2006 and 2017 in the United States. The majority of the crash investigations involved a frontal crash (55%). The other crash types included rollover (17%), nearside (13%), farside (9%), and rear crashes (5%). Crash characteristics such as roadway departure (26%), fatality (8%), elderly (>65 years old) occupant crashes (7%), crashes preceded by a medical event (4%), and crashes preceded by the driver falling asleep at the wheel (4%) are particularly informative in regards to advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) role. The distribution of Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale (MAIS) scores for the occupants were AIS 1 (23%), AIS 2 (33%), AIS 3 (10%), AIS 4 (4%), and AIS 5 + (7%); 16% of crashes involved uninjured occupants and 7% included no injury information.

In-depth case reviews of moderate and severe crashes remain vital to determine emerging trends, patterns of crash injury, and analysis of driver assistance systems and other factors with potential to prevent the crash or limit severity.