A Comparative Damage Analysis Approach to Reconstructing Frontal, Rear, and Sideswipe Motor Vehicle Accidents: Verification with Event Data Recorders
2022-01-1014
03/29/2022
- Event
- Content
- A comparative damage analysis (CDA) methodology for assessing the severity of motor vehicle accidents was evaluated, in which the damage sustained by the subject vehicles was compared to damage sustained by exemplar vehicles, in the same type of crash and in which the associated dynamics were known or could be determined. Forty-four real-world frontal, rear, or sideswipe accidents were reconstructed utilizing various sources of information regarding the accident, including photographs, repair estimates, statements. The damage was compared to that sustained by exemplar vehicles in independent vehicle tests, real-world accident reconstructions, and/or simulations. A delta-V (null for sideswipes) was determined for 45 involved vehicles equipped with event data recorder (EDR) capabilities in their airbag control modules (ACMs). Subsequently, the data contained within their ACMs was imaged. Results from the CDA were compared to the EDR data. In 40 vehicles (89.9%), the CDA-derived longitudinal delta-V value was above or within either the 5-mph recording threshold when no event was registered or ±10% of the EDR-reported longitudinal delta-V when the event was recorded. CDA underestimated delta-V for 5 vehicles by 0.9 ± 0.6 mph, with a maximum difference of 1.8 mph. For those vehicles in which the ACM recorded a delta-V (n = 24), linear regression yielded the equation dVEDR = 0.87*dVCDA – 0.28, R-squared = 0.94, indicating the CDA method overestimated delta-V. A CDA methodology for reconstructing real-world accidents was developed and verified with EDR downloads. This methodology overestimated EDR-reported delta-V in most cases, with underestimated delta-V values off by approximately 1 mph. Thus, we present a reliable methodology for performing vehicle accident reconstructions independent of physical inspection of the involved vehicles. This methodology would be most useful when physical inspections of the vehicles in their damaged states is impossible or impractical.
- Citation
- Hill, M., Zaragoza-Rivera, Y., and Baratta, R., "A Comparative Damage Analysis Approach to Reconstructing Frontal, Rear, and Sideswipe Motor Vehicle Accidents: Verification with Event Data Recorders," SAE Technical Paper 2022-01-1014, 2022, .