Addressing Seat Belt Discomfort Among Indian Female Driving Population Through Anthropometric Data Collection and Simulation

The rate of female drivers in India is increasing alongside the rapid growth of the Indian automotive industry. A driving comfort survey conducted among female drivers revealed that many experiences dis-comfort when wearing seat belts—whether while driving or as front-seat passengers. This discomfort is primarily due to a phenomenon referred to as “neck cutting.” The root cause of neck cutting is likely related to vehicle design, which is traditionally based on Anthropometric Test Devices (ATD’s) representing the 50th percentile of the global population. However, a literature review indicated that the anthropometric dimensions of the Indian populations are generally smaller than those of the global for the respective candidate. This highlighted the need to collect region-specific anthropometric data for India. During this research work, Indian anthropometric data was collected through the Size India 2.0 project, covering a wide demographic region across India. This study was in continuation of earlier project Size India conducted in 2010. This study helped to understand the effect on various anthropometric dimensions after a decade. After statistical analysis of the Size India data, the relevant dimensions for a 5th percentile Indian female candidate were extracted. Using these dimensions, a virtual model was created in the RAMSIS software. This model enabled to simulate Seat Belt Discomfort in various driver seat adjustment positions. To validate the neck-cutting issue, physical trials were conducted on various female candidates in the driver’s seat of various vehicles. Accordingly, methodology was developed to quantify neck cutting parameters objectively. A correlation study was performed to align virtual simulation results with physical trials outcomes, to fine-tune the virtual methodology. Based on the findings, few recommendations were suggested which were evaluated against its effect on existing relevant standards.