Pedestrian Safety

A recent research report released by the U.S. Department of Transportations National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has stated that almost 175,000 pedestrians died on U.S roadways between 1975 and 2001. It was also noted in the report that 12 of all deaths related to motor vehicle crashes in the country are pedestrian fatalities. Most of the safety technology to date in vehicles has been applied to protect the occupants in the vehicle. What can vehicle manufacturers do to reduce pedestrian fatalities? With research being focused on two major fronts - methods to sense the presence of pedestrians and warn drivers of their location, and ways to design vehicles that can help not only adults of various age groups to survive an impact between them and a vehicle but also children that are smaller than most adults - the technical papers in this SAE Progress in Technology Series book explore ways the automobile can be designed to help reduce fatalities and injuries when a pedestrian and vehicle meet during an impact.