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A side collision is a vehicle crash where the side of one or more vehicles is impacted. These crashes typically occur at intersections, in parking lots, and when two vehicles pass on a multi-lane roadway.
A 2016 study found that, in the EU, side impact collisions were significantly less common than frontal impact collisions, at rates of 22-29% and 61-69% respectively. [1] However, they tend to be much more dangerous. Another report commissioned by the EU in 2015 found that side impacts accounted for roughly 35-40% of passenger fatality and serious injury, as opposed to 55% attributed to head-on collisions. [2] A likely contributor to this fact is the amount of protection offered by the struck vehicle. Even when equipped with the safest cars on the road, these casualties occurred at much lower speeds than in head-on collisions, with passenger fatality and serious injury typically occurring at 50 km/h (~31 mph) in side impact collisions, as opposed to 70 km/h (~43 mph) for frontal impacts. [2] Additionally, side impacts tend to affect more vulnerable areas of the body. While front and rear impacts typically produced the most serious injuries in the lower extremities (legs and feet), side impacts typically resulted in most serious injuries in the head and chest regions. [1]
In 2008, a total of 5,265 (22%) out of 23,888 people were killed in vehicles which were struck in the side in the United States. [3]
For European motorcyclists, side impact is the second most frequent location of impact. [1]
For European cyclists, thorax injuries are associated with side-impact injuries in urban areas and/or at junctions. [1]
In several European countries, such as the UK, Sweden, and France, around one quarter of traffic injuries are produced by side collisions, but accounted for 29 to 38% of injuries which were fatal. [4]
In European vehicle side impact, 60% of casualties were "struck side", while 40% were "non struck side", in 2018. [4]
Fatal casualties count as 50% and 67% in UK and in France, in 2010 [4]
Also, side collision are not well managed with child restraints which are not enough taking into account the movement of the child's head and prevent contact with the car's interior. [4]
For light vans and minibuses in 2000 in UK and Germany, between 14% and 26% of accidents with passenger cars were side impacts. [4]
In Shanghai, in China, 23% of the 1097 serious accidents occurred between June 2005 and March 2013 are side impact accidents, there the leading collision mode, according to the Shanghai United Road Traffic Safety Scientific Research Center (SHUFO) database. [5] The head and neck are involved in around 64% of the casualties. [5]
Broadside collisions are where the side of one vehicle is impacted by the front or rear of another vehicle, forming a "T". In the United States and Canada this collision type is also known as a right-angle collision or T-bone collision; it is also sometimes referred to by the abbreviation "AABS" for "auto accident, broadside". [6] Vehicle damage and occupant injury are more likely to be severe, but severity varies based on the part of the vehicle that is struck, safety features present, the speeds of both vehicles, and vehicle weight and construction.
When a vehicle is hit on the side by another vehicle, the crumple zones of the striking vehicle will absorb some of the kinetic energy of the collision. The crumple zones of the struck vehicle may also absorb some of the collision's energy, particularly if the vehicle is not struck on its passenger compartment. Both vehicles are frequently turned from their original directions of travel. If the collision is severe, the struck vehicle may be spun or rolled over, potentially causing it to strike other vehicles, objects, or pedestrians. After the collision, the involved vehicles may be stuck together by the folding of their parts around each other.
An occupant on the struck side of a vehicle may sustain far more severe injuries than an otherwise similar front or rear collision crash.
Side-impact airbags can protect vehicle occupants during side collisions, but they face the same limitations as other airbags. Additionally, side impact wrecks are more likely to involve multiple individual collisions or sudden speed changes before motion ceases. Since the airbag can only provide protection during the first collision, it may leave occupants unprotected during subsequent collisions in the crash. However, the first collision in a crash typically has the most severe forces, so an effective airbag provides maximum benefit during the most severe portion of a crash.
Broadside collisions are frequently caused by a failure to yield right of way. In the case of collisions in an intersection, the cause is often a result of one vehicle failing to obey traffic signals (fail to stop or running past a red light). As with any crash, increased speed may increase crash severity.
Euro NCAP, IIHS and NHTSA test side impacts in different ways. As of 2015 [update] , they all test vehicle-to-vehicle side impacts, [7] [8] where heavier vehicles have lower fatality rates than lighter vehicles. [9]
NHTSA and Euro NCAP also test the more severe vehicle-into-pole side impacts, [10] where smaller vehicles have the same fatality rate as larger vehicles. [9]
Newer cars have improved safety in case of front crashes, but side impacts can also be deadly; about 9,700 people were killed in side impacts in the US in 2004. [11] Side airbags became mandatory in 2009 in the US, saving an estimated 1,000 lives per year. [12] Research indicates that the vehicle's underbody is the best place to reinforce structures to reduce intrusion by the pole. [13]
These are lists of cars with notable aspects of side impact.
The NHTSA results are evaluated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration using Office of Crashworthiness Standards, New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) Side Impact Laboratory Test Procedure [14] and Side Impact Rigid Pole Laboratory Test Procedure [15] to display a simple star-rating. The "primary purpose of the NCAP side impact program is to provide comparative vehicle side protection information to assist consumers in making vehicle purchase decisions, thereby providing an incentive for vehicle manufacturers to design safer vehicles." [15]
The IIHS results are evaluated by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety using their protocols. [16] [17]
This list shows the most notable of newer tested vehicles tested via NHTSA and IIHS. Some provide good protection, some less so, and some developed improved safety in response to a low result (Dodge Ram and Fiat 500). Some are common examples of their type.
Sorted roughly by rating, Head injury criterion (HIC) and Crush.
| Year [N 1] | Manufacturer | Model | Type | Number produced [N 2] | Impactor (MDB) into Vehicle [N 3] | Vehicle into pole | Comment | IIHS side rating | Euro NCAP side rating | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum Crush [N 4] | HIC [N 5] | Rating [N 6] | Maximum Crush | HIC | RLSA [N 7] | Rating | ||||||||
| 2014 | Jeep Wrangler | SUV | 1 million [18] | mm | — [19] | mm | g | — | Poor [20] [21] | — | ||||
| 2012 | Chrysler | 200 [22] | Mid | 202 mm | [23] |  | 392 mm | 1987 | 51 g [24] |  | Head injury criterion above threshold. | Good [25] | — | |
| 2015 | Toyota | Hilux/Tacoma [26] | Truck | 5+ million [27] | 305 mm | 125+292 [28] | | 516 mm | 451 | 57 g [29] | | |||
| 2013 | Fiat | 500 [30] | Supermini | 1+ million [31] | 164 mm | 166+382 [32] | | 354 mm | 224 | 54 g [33] | | MDB: Pelvic force and pax RLSA within threshold. | Good [34] | — |
| 2012 | Fiat | 500 [35] | Supermini | 160 mm | 127+410 [36] | | 354 mm | 224 | 54 g [33] | | MDB: Pax pelvic force over threshold, and RLSA near. | |||
| 2013 | Dodge | Ram 1500 [37] | Truck | 365 mm | 16+30 [38] | | 603 mm | 483 | 48 g [39] | | All parameters within limits. | — [40] | — | |
| 2011 | Dodge | Ram 1500 [41] | Truck | mm | | 462 mm | 519 | 87 g [42] | | Pole Test: Pelvic force and RLSA over threshold. | ||||
| 2014 | Mercedes-Benz | E-Class [43] | Sedan | 129 mm | 92+244 [44] | | 343 mm | 492 | 53 g [45] | | Pole Test: Pelvic force 4770 N of a threshold of 5525 N | |||
| 2012 | Chrysler | Town & Country [46] | Minivan | 298 mm | 51+135 [47] | | 389 mm | 294 | 47 g [48] | | Pole Test: Pelvic force 3503 N of a threshold of 5525 N | Good [49] | — | |
| 2014 | Audi | Q5 [50] | CUV | 188 mm | 59+166 [51] | | 467 mm | 253 | 54 g [52] | | ||||
| 2011 | Volvo | XC60 [53] | CUV | ½ million [54] | 170 mm | 60+231 [55] | | 462 mm | 242 | 45 g [56] | | |||
| Year | Manufacturer | Model | Type | Produced | mm | | mm | g | | Comment | Good | | ||
Limits are: [14] [15]
Moving Deformable Barrier (MDB): HIC max. 1000, Chest injury max. 44mm, abdominal injury max. 2500 Newton, pelvis injury max. 6000 N. There are additional limits for passenger similar to pole test.
Rigid Pole: HIC max. 1000, Lower Spine acceleration max. 82g, Pelvis sum max. 5525 N
Sorted roughly by rating.
| Year [M 1] | Manufacturer | Model | Type | Number produced [M 2] | NHTSA rating | IIHS side rating | Euro NCAP side rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-2006 | Ford | Crown Victoria | Full-size |  [57] | Poor [58] [11] | — | Structure rated "Poor" | |
| 2008-2015 | Jeep Wrangler | SUV | 1 million [18] | — [19] | Poor [20] [21] | — | Structure rated "Acceptable" | |
| 2004 | Mitsubishi | Galant | Sedan | [59] | Poor [60] | 2005 with airbag is Good at IIHS | ||
| Year | Manufacturer | Model | Type | Produced | | Good | | — |
An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate in milliseconds during a collision and then deflate afterwards. It consists of an airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. The purpose of the airbag is to provide a vehicle occupant with soft cushioning and restraint during a collision. It can reduce injuries between the flailing occupant and the vehicle's interior.
A crash test dummy, or simply dummy, is a full-scale anthropomorphic test device (ATD) that simulates the dimensions, weight proportions and articulation of the human body during a traffic collision. Dummies are used by researchers, automobile and aircraft manufacturers to predict the injuries a person might sustain in a crash. Modern dummies are usually instrumented to record data such as velocity of impact, crushing force, bending, folding, or torque of the body, and deceleration rates during a collision.
Crumple zones, crush zones, or crash zones are a structural safety feature used in vehicles, mainly in automobiles, to increase the time over which a change in velocity occurs from the impact during a collision by a controlled deformation; in recent years, it is also incorporated into trains and railcars.
A crash test is a form of destructive testing usually performed in order to ensure safe design standards in crashworthiness and crash compatibility for various modes of transportation or related systems and components.
Automotive safety is the study and practice of automotive design, construction, equipment and regulation to minimize the occurrence and consequences of traffic collisions involving motor vehicles. Road traffic safety more broadly includes roadway design.
A bumper is a structure attached to or integrated with the front and rear ends of a motor vehicle, to absorb impact in a minor collision, ideally minimizing repair costs. Stiff metal bumpers appeared on automobiles as early as 1904 that had a mainly ornamental function. Numerous developments, improvements in materials and technologies, as well as greater focus on functionality for protecting vehicle components and improving safety have changed bumpers over the years. Bumpers ideally minimize height mismatches between vehicles and protect pedestrians from injury. Regulatory measures have been enacted to reduce vehicle repair costs and, more recently, impact on pedestrians.
The European New Car Assessment Programme is a European voluntary car safety performance assessment programme based in Leuven, Belgium. Formed in 1996, the first results were released in February 1997. It was originally started by the Transport Research Laboratory for the UK Department for Transport but later backed by several European governments, as well as by the European Union (EU). Their slogan is "For Safer Cars".
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is an agency of the U.S. federal government, part of the Department of Transportation, focused on transportation safety in the United States.
The Chevrolet Venture is a minivan produced by General Motors for the 1997 to 2005 model years. The Chevrolet Venture, along with most of its General Motors minivan siblings, was built at GM's Doraville, Georgia, assembly plant.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Highway Loss Data Institute (IIHS-HLDI) is an American nonprofit organization. It was established in 1959, and it is noted for its safety reviews of vehicles in various simulated traffic situations, including the effectiveness of a vehicle's structural integrity and safety systems during a collision, in addition to examining improvement on such elements.
The Fiat 500 is an A-segment city car manufactured and marketed by the Italian car maker Fiat, a subdivision of Stellantis, since 2007. It is available in hatchback coupé and fixed-profile convertible body styles, over a single generation, with an intermediate facelift in Europe in the 2016 model year. The 500 is internally designated as the Type 312 by FCA.
Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS) is a system to protect against automotive whiplash injuries introduced by Volvo in 1998. It was launched when the Volvo S80 was released for the 1999 model year and has since been part of the standard equipment of all new Volvo cars.
G-Con is Honda Motor Co.'s internal passive safety standard. G-Con is short for G-Force Control. The standards incorporated into G-Con are constantly updated to benchmark against many of the world's toughest crash safety regulations as well as against data collected from real-world accident cases. The objective of G-Con is to control the impact energy (G-force) of a collision and reduce injuries to the vehicle occupants.
The Latin New Car Assessment Programme is an automobile safety assessment programme for Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded in 2010, it offers independent information to consumers about the safety levels of new cars in the market. Latin NCAP tests are based in international renowned methodologies, with vehicles awarded a safety rating between 0 and 5 stars, indicating the protection the cars offer to adult and child occupants. The programme started as a joint initiative and in 2014 it was established as an association under a legal entity framework.
The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations define AEBS. UN ECE regulation 131 requires a system which can automatically detect a potential forward collision and activate the vehicle braking system to decelerate a vehicle with the purpose of avoiding or mitigating a collision. UN ECE regulation 152 says deceleration has to be at least 5 metres per second squared.
A New Car Assessment Program is a government car safety program tasked with evaluating new automobile designs for performance against various safety threats.
The Bharat New Car Assessment Program, also known as the Bharat NCAP, is the official New Car Assessment Program for India. Cars sold in the country will be assigned by star ratings based on their safety performance. It was implemented in phases, according to the plans drawn up by the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project. It is the 10th NCAP in the world and was set up by the government of India.
The C-NCAP is a Chinese car safety assessment program. It is primarily modeled after safety standards established by Euro NCAP and is run by the China Automotive Technology and Research Center. The C-NCAP was first run in 2006 and has been updated every three years since, with new revisions for 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021 and 2024.
Adrian Hobbs is a British safety expert specializing in automobile crashworthiness with a background in accident and injury investigation/analysis.
GlobalNew Car Assessment Programme is a project of the Towards Zero Foundation, a UK-registered charity. The programme serves as an umbrella organisation encouraging co-operation between the various New Car Assessment Programmes around the world, and a consumer test for vehicle safety in markets that are weakly regulated or do not yet have their own consumer safety programmes.
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| Road collisions | ||
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| Lists of traffic collisions | ||
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