Role of Pedestrian Waist and Hip Height Relative to the Vehicle Front End in Kinematics and Torso Injuries

Authors: Becky Mueller, Samuel Monfort, Jessica Jermakian—Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Abstract

This study examined 127 U.S. pedestrian crashes involving model year 2009–2022 cars, SUVs, and pickups to explore how the height of the vehicle front end relative to the pedestrian’s hip and waist height affected pedestrian kinematics and torso injuries. Vehicle hood leading edge (HLE) height was compared with estimates of pedestrian hip and waist heights. Vehicles with HLEs higher than the pedestrian’s waist were associated with the largest proportion of AIS 2+ thorax, abdomen, and spine injuries produced by torso impacts with the front headlights, grille, and HLE. Vehicles with HLEs higher than the pedestrian’s hip but lower than the waist had the next highest proportion of AIS 2+ torso injuries from impacts with the hood and cowl. Future torso impactor testing of vehicle front ends must take kinematics and injury source differences for the tallest vehicles into consideration to ensure evaluations are assessing countermeasures relevant to real-world torso injuries.

Type: Short Communication

© Stapp Car Crash Conference, 2024

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