ISO: Standard Reduces Risk of Children's Head Injuries - ISO 16850
November 14, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS
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The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) released ISO 16850:2007 - Road vehicles - Pedestrian protection - Child head impact test method, which is expected to facilitate the development of more pedestrian-friendly cars, reduce serious head injuries and fatalities of children and enhance safety in real world crashes.
Each year, thousands of pedestrians and cyclists are struck by motor vehicles. Most of these accidents take place in urban areas where serious or fatal injuries can be sustained at relatively low speed, particularly in the case of children.
According to the statistics, about 8,000 pedestrians and cyclists are killed and about 300,000 injured in the European Union (EU) each year. In North America, experts said the figures are approximately 5,000 pedestrians killed and 85,000 injured annually.
The new standard provides a crash test method for simulating the front impact of a vehicle to a child pedestrian's head. The reconstruction results will allow manufacturers to generate estimates of head-impact conditions, like impact velocity, angle and timing, sustained in the simulated accident and then maximize harmonization of test results conducted by different test organizations.
"Improved pedestrian safety has been a key issue in many countries, and undoubtedly, ISO 16850:2007 will contribute toward international harmonization in this area," said Yoshiyuki Mizuno, convener of ISO/TC 22/SC, 10/WG 2 - Pedestrian Impact Test Procedure, which developed the new standard. Mizuno said the standard will help avoid excessive testing for different markets and remove barriers to trade.
This work, based on scientific and biomechanical data gathered in collaboration with experts around the world, will be used by International Harmonized Research Activities (IHRA) Pedestrian Safety Working Group and the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) - Pedestrian Safety global technical regulation (PS gtr). It is also helping fulfill the aims of the World Trade Organization Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (WTO TBT).
Source: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).