Roadside hazard and barrier crashworthiness issues confronting vehicle and barrier manufactures and government regulators

Run-off-road crashes into roadside hazards that include impacting rigid objects and roll-over constitute approximately 40 per cent of road fatalities and cross over two car frontal collisions account for around 7 per cent of fatalities in Australia. One way of protecting occupants in such crashes is to use a roadside or median barrier to safely redirect the vehicle. Road crash barriers can in themselves be hazardous unless designed properly. Errant vehicle redirection should occur so that air bag and seat belt pretensioning systems do not fire and rollover does not occur. This paper presents results of crash tests that provide some insight into vehicle-barrier crash pulses, occupant and vehicle kinematics and desirable occupant protection systems related to existing barrier profiles and properties and what are the most suitable vehicle and barrier crashworthiness features essential for safe vehicle redirection. The paper also argues, using some real-world examples, in favour of bringing together road designers and car manufacturers with associated regulatory bodies to emphasise a holistic perspective to enhance occupant protection in road crashes.