Review of Pedestrian Protection from Vehicle Impacts

Journal article, 1997

Objective: The aim of this paper is to survey the research on pedestrian safety in vehicle-pedestrian impacts and on the development of countermeasures. Methods: The literature review emphasized on the following key aspects: injury epidemiology, injury mechanisms, tolerance levels, protection assessment techniques, and proposed safety counter-measures. Results: The current status of the knowledge and technology for pedestrian injury protection is discussed. The important gaps are identified. Conclusion: A cost-effective method for reducing pedestrian injury severity is modifying designs of new vehicles. Research priorities should focus on fatal head injuries and lower extremity injuries related to functional impairment. It is necessary to develop a more advanced pedestrian dummy and mathematical models to obtain a better understanding of injury mechanisms. Only then can effective counter-measures be proposed.