Similarity scoring methodology for comparing real-world cases to crash test standards

Abstract

A National Automotive Sampling System–Crashworthiness Data System (NASS–CDS) based Similarity Scoring Methodology (SSM) is presented for the quantitative comparison of real-world crashes to crash tests. Using NASS–CDS 2000–2008, five categorical and five continuous crash, vehicle and occupant parameters were utilised for frontal and side impacts. Mahalanobis metric results revealed that 1% of frontal and 23% of side NASS–CDS cases scored received similarity scores of <0.14 demonstrating greater similarity to standard crash tests. These included 20,334 frontal and 442,511 side impact case occupants (weighted). On average, the best scores occurred for NASS–CDS cases compared to FMVSS 214 side crash tests. The majority of real-world crashes had lower delta-Vs and maximum crush than associated crash tests. The results will aid in the study of occupant safety and vehicle crashworthiness by helping researchers identify population groups to study real-world injuries versus the injury risk predicted by anthropomorphic test devices.

Keywords:

• national automotive sampling system
• motor vehicle crashes
• similarity scoring system
• Mahalanobis
• crash tests
• comparisons

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University Center for Injury Biomechanics graduate students for their help. Work was performed for the Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) Project at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in cooperation with the United States Department of Transportation/National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (USDOT/NHTSA) and Toyota Motor Corporation. Views expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of any of the sponsors or NHTSA.

Additional information

Funding

Funding has been provided by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [Cooperative Agreement Number DTNH22-09-H-00265] and Toyota Motor North America, Inc. [Cooperative Agreement Number DTNH22-05-H-61001].