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New ISO standard will reduce risks of head injuries in child pedestrian accidents

2007-10-17

Head injuries are among the most common injuries sustained in automobile-to-child pedestrian collisions, and are the leading cause of death. ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is helping to reduce the risk by an International Standard for simulating the head-impact conditions of a child sustained in an actual accident/collision.

ISO 16850:2007, Road vehicles – Pedestrian protection – Child head impact test method, 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.

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, therefore, maximize harmonization of test results conducted by different test organizations.

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 each year. In North America the figures indicate around 5 000 pedestrians killed and 85 000 injured.

"Improved pedestrian safety has been a key issue in many countries, and undoubtedly, ISO 16850:2007 will contribute towards international harmonization in this area," said Yoshiyuki Mizuno, Convener, ISO/TC 22/SC 10/WG 2, Pedestrian Impact Test Procedure, that developed the new standard. "It will thus help avoid excessive testing for different markets and acts to 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 fulfil the aims of the World Trade Organization Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (WTO TBT).

ISO 16850:2007 costs 78 Swiss francs and is available from ISO national member institutes (see the complete list with contact details) and from ISO Central Secretariat through the ISO Store or by contacting the Marketing & Communication department (see right-hand column). The new standard is the work of ISO technical committee ISO/TC 22, Road vehicles, subcommittee SC 10, Impact test procedures.