NHTSA to Use New "10 Year Old Child" Crash Test Dummy

An adult crash test dummy (photo by Ben Smith)Benjamin Smith
Principal Technical Analyst

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced last week that they will be using a newly developed "10 year old child" crash test dummy. According to NHTSA, this new crash test dummy was created  so that boosters and child safety seats designed for children over 65 pounds could be tested in the most effective manner possible. Read the full press release dated 02/21/12.

The new dummy will allow NHTSA to assess the risk of injuries using head and knee excursions and chest acceleration. The expanded testing capabilities will also allow for the evaluation and certification of higher weight booster seats (designed for children weighing 65-80 pounds), in compliance with recent rule changes issued by NHTSA.

Currently NHTSA recommends that children be seated in a car seat with a harness (up to the specifications of the seat) until they are large enough to fit properly in a seat belt, which they say is generally when the child is between 8-12 years and about 4'9" tall. Read more about properly fitting seat belts for children ages 8-12 years.

NHTSA Administrator Strickland Discusses Rewarding Extra Credit for Vehicle Safety Technology

Kelly Messerschmidt
Technical Communications Manager

Last week in Detroit, Michigan, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator David Strickland spoke to the Society of Automotive Analysts about NHTSA’s considering changes to their 5-star crash rating system, which would give “extra credit” to vehicles that include safety system technologies. Read more about what Administrator Strickland said about this in a news piece by David E. Zoia, of WardsAuto (01/09/12).

Strickland did not identify specifically which vehicle safety technologies would increase vehicles’ add-on safety credits; however, he said that NHTSA is currently evaluating technologies worthy of highlighting, and that decisions may be made soon.

Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication is a particularly interesting example of an emerging vehicle safety technology. According to the US DOT Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), V2V is the “dynamic wireless exchange of data between nearby vehicles that offers the opportunity for significant safety improvements." Read RITA's V2V "Research Overview."

V2V uses anonymous vehicle-based data exchange to allow vehicles to “talk” in real time about subjects that include (but are not limited to) speed, location, and position - in order to calculate risk, take proactive steps to reduce risk and mitigate vehicle crashes, provide warnings or advisories to drivers, and more.

Learn more about the US DOT's Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Strategic Research Plan 2010-2014.

View RITA's overview of applications addressed by the Federal ITS program.

Toyota, Lexus, and Scion Included in Latest Release of Crash Data Retrieval Software

Benjamin Smith
Principal Technical Analyst

Late last month, Bosch released the latest (and a highly anticipated) version of its Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Tool software. The release of CDR Tool Version 4.0 was also accompanied by several pieces of new hardware. In addition to expanded coverage for the latest Ford and Chrysler vehicles, this release also includes all new coverage for Toyota, Lexus, and Scion.

The new coverage for Toyota, Lexus, and Scion includes more than 75 vehicle models dating back to 2006 that had not been covered with previous versions of the Crash Data Retrieval Tool software. Depending on the specific vehicle model, the data from these vehicles can include pre-crash parameters such as vehicle speed, braking status, engine speed, accelerator rate, and seat belt status.

While the specific types and amounts of data vary by vehicle model, downloads retrieved by vehicles via the Crash Data Retrieval system can be of great value to an accident reconstruction or accident investigation.

If you have questions about CDR downloads or specific vehicle model coverage, please contact us. MSC's staff in Alabama and Mississippi is trained and certified in the retrieval, preservation, and analysis of CDR data.

View a complete listing of vehicles covered by CDR Tool Version 4.0 (PDF).

Technology Aside, Driver Safety is Top Priority for NHTSA

Kevin Jones
Technical Analyst

With so many telematics and smart phone technologies built into today’s automobile, what’s possible seems limitless. More and more, it looks like we’re closing the gap between what Hanna-Barbera’s The Jetsons envisioned in the 1960s and where we are now.

Nevertheless, all of this technology is not as openly welcomed as you might think. While there is a lot of excitement about new technologies and their being incorporated into automobiles, some safety advocates would like to see more restraint.

On June 9, 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Administrator, David L. Strickland, spoke at the 2011 Detroit Diesel conference in Novi, Michigan. Mr. Strickland praised the use of vehicle technology that supports such functions as vehicle maintenance and also the use of navigation systems to help first-responders in the event of vehicle crashes. However, he made it clear that he does not support technologies that are distracting to drivers. In Mr. Strickland’s presentation, titled "USDOT Sheds Lights on Driver Distraction Issues (Crucial Session)," he expresses that while drivers’ connecting to all the new technologies in their vehicle is not necessary, some vehicle owners still very much embrace the technologies being added to vehicles.

In May 2011, at the Association for Safer International Road Travel Annual Gala Fundraiser, in Washington, D.C., Mr. Strickland spoke about the need for crash avoidance technologies. In his remarks, Mr. Strickland says, “Crash avoidance technologies provide an opportunity to save lives and reduce injuries by supporting the driver and preventing crashes from occurring in the first place.” He also puts forth that vehicle to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication are two possible ways to help reduce the number of automobile crashes.

However, at the same time that these safety applications are making a positive difference in reducing crashes, and while their use is being encouraged, NHTSA is simultaneously “taking a hard look at these systems” and challenging both the auto industry and cell phone industry to work hand-in-hand with federal transportation officials “to keep the driver on their required task: driving.”

Photo Enforcement Helping Bring Red Light Runners to a Stop

Kelly Messerschmidt
Technical Communications Manager

Because police can’t be everywhere at once, red light cameras are being used more and more to enforce motorists’ coming to a stop at red lights. In fact, studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and others have found a 40-96% reduction in the number of people running red lights at intersections using this type of photo enforcement. Watch a YouTube video about red light cameras. 

The IIHS reports that in 2009, crashes caused by red light runners resulted in 676 deaths and an estimated 130,000 injuries. Obviously, enforcing drivers’ stopping at red lights has great ramifications for public safety.

You might be surprised at just how common red light runners are. In a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety telephone survey conducted in 2010, one-third of the drivers reported having run a red light in the past 30 days—even though 93% of them said they thought doing so was unacceptable if stopping safely was an option. Other studies cited by the IIHS report that about three drivers per hour run red lights at intersections lacking the red light cameras.
See how your state’s automatic enforcement laws measure up.

Contrary to what some think, red light cameras do not actually take a photo of every car driving through a particular intersection. Instead, the camera automatically photographs any car whose driver runs the red light. Red light cameras have been used for decades and have proven to be extremely accurate and reliable.

What constitutes one’s running a red light? It’s pretty simple. Running a red light is defined as the driver entering the intersection after the light has turned red. However, those who inadvertently find themselves in an intersection when the light changes to red are not considered red light runners. Who are the most likely to run a red light? An IIHS study conducted in 2009 found that red light runners were more likely to be younger (under 30), male, and have poor driving records with incidents of prior crashes, alcohol-related driving convictions, and speeding and other moving violations.

Read Q&As from IIHS about red light cameras.