A Study of Fatality Risk and Head Dynamic Response of Cyclist and Pedestrian Based on Passenger Car Accident Data Analysis and Simulations

Abstract

Objective: The current study aims to compare the fatality risk of pedestrians and cyclists in urban traffic through an analysis of real-world accident data in China.

Methods: First, 438 cases, including 371 pedestrian cases and 67 cyclist cases, were selected as a sample from the accidents collected through an in-depth investigation of vehicle accidents in China. A statistical measurement of the fatality risk with respect to impact velocity was carried out using a logistic regression analysis. Furthermore, 21 pedestrian and 24 cyclist accidents were selected for reconstruction with the MADYMO program. A comparative analysis was conducted based on the results from accident analysis and simulations for the fatality risk and head dynamic response of pedestrians and cyclists.

Results: The results indicate that the vehicle impact velocity has a significant relationship with the fatality risk of both pedestrians and cyclists. The fatality risks at 50 km/h are more than twice as high as the risk at 40 km/h and about 5 times as high as that at 30 km/h for both pedestrians and cyclists. Moreover, cyclists suffered slightly lower fatality risk compared to pedestrians. The corresponding vehicle impact velocity is 65.4 km/h for pedestrian with a fatality risk of 50 percent, whereas for cyclists it is 67.6 km/h. In addition, the head impact conditions between pedestrians and cyclists are different.

Conclusions: These findings offer potential contributions for establishing a more reasonable speed limit for urban traffic in China and generating strategies for cyclists’ and pedestrians’ head protection.

Keywords:

• pedestrian
• cyclist
• fatality risk
• head dynamic response