Train the Trainers Motor Vehicle Safety Workshop

Vehicle Safety and the UN Decade of Action

June 30th – July 1st 2014

Presentation by

David Ward

Secretary General Global NCAP

The first International Traffic Convention was adopted at a conference in Paris in 1909. This introduced the concept of ‘type approval’ for motor vehicles so that they must meet design standards to promote both safety and the environment. In 1909 motor vehicles were required to be: “So designed as to prevent, as far as possible, all danger of fire or explosion, as not to frighten by its noise animals, whether ridden or driven, and as not to give rise to any other cause of danger to traffic or seriously to inconvenience by the emission of smoke or vapour any persons using the road”; and equipped with: “a strong steering apparatus, which will allow the car to be turned readily and with certainty” and to have “two brakes, each independent of the other and adequate for its purpose”.

Origins of Motor Vehicle Safety

The motor vehicle is probably the most regulated product in the world frequently subject to national, regional and international standards administered by the United Nations. The EU regulates the entire life cycle of the vehicle.

Motor Vehicle Regulation

Vehicle regulations typically establish minimum standards to reduce risk of injury when a crash occurs or to make a crash less likely. Increasingly vehicle standards are being applied regionally and internationally through the UN’s World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations. In parallel safety ratings by New Car Assessment Programmes (NCAPs) help to raise consumer awareness and build a market for safer vehicles. This combination of “regulatory push”

and “demand pull” has made passenger cars in Europe, Japan and the USA, safer than ever before. The challenge now is to encourage similar progress in rapidly motorising countries.

The Dynamics of Vehicle Safety: Regulatory Push & Demand Pull

Changing Geography of Vehicle Use

Changing Geography of Vehicle Sales & Production

LD Vehicle

Producers 2003 2013

Mature Economies

38.7 million (USA, Jp, D, Fr, Esp, Can, UK)

30.8 million (Jp, USA, D, Es, Fr, UK etc.)

Emerging Economies

9.3 million (Ch, SKor, Br)

34.2 million (Ch, SKor, Br, Ind, Mex etc.)

Total 48.0 million 65.0 million

Over the last decade motor vehicle production has grown hugely in the emerging economies In 2010 for the first time sales of light duty vehicles in emerging economies exceeded those of the mature economies. Emerging economies also now have the largest share of global production of light duty vehicles. Building and selling motor vehicles is now a lead industry of the world’s emerging economies.

In the EU about 40% of the estimated 100,000 fewer deaths since 20001 are due to safer vehicles. In the USA between 1960 and 2002 better vehicles have saved 328,551 lives. In the UK over the last 15 years car occupants deaths have fallen by 56% and improved vehicle safety has been the single largest contributor to the overall decline in fatalities. This is result of improved crash worthiness

(crumple zones, seat belts, air bags) and crash avoidance systems (electronic stability control). However, progress in vehicle safety depends on the turnover of the vehicle fleet which may take from 15 to 20 years. So prompt action to increase the penetration of safer vehicles is required. This will then deliver casualty reduction year on year.

Safer Vehicles Saving Lives – Action and Patience Reward!

Penetration of Frontal Impact Regulation in the EU Vehicle Fleet

Global Vehicle Safety Issues

Almost 50% of global road traffic fatalities are vehicle occupants. Given the unprecedented rise in the global automobile fleet sustaining progress in vehicle safety is both a major challenge and opportunity. The main +/- are: issues are: - lack of safety standards (in producing & importing developing nations) and insufficient harmonisation with global UN vehicle safety regulations. - de-specification of safety features especially in small cars. - lack of consumer awareness and a ‘market for safety’. + scope to lower unit prices with growing share of global platforms (43% by 2012) offering substantial cost savings up to $900 per vehicle (source: AT Kearney) + global harmonisation and technology progress offering economies of scale + growing income levels and potential consumer safety awareness.

The Decade’s goal is to ‘stabilize and then reduce the level of road fatalities’. This would bring a 50% reduction in the forecast level of fatalities by 2020 and avoid five million deaths, 50 million injuries and $3 trillion in social costs. The Decade is supported by a Global Plan for the Decade with five pillars:

1. Building Management Capacity 2. Encouraging Safer User Behaviour 3. Building Safer Vehicles

4. Building Safer Roads 5. Improving Post Crash Care The Decade Plan includes seven recommended activities in ‘pillar three’ to promote vehicle safety

UN Decade of Action 2011-2020

UN Decade Plan – Pillar 3: Safer Vehicles

Activity 1: Encourage Member States to apply and promulgate motor vehicle safety standards as developed by the UN’s World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP 29). Activity 2: Encourage implementation of new car assessment programmes in all world regions to increase the availability of consumer information about the safety performance of motor vehicles. Activity 3: Encourage agreement to ensure that all new motor vehicles are equipped with seat belts and anchorages that meet regulatory requirements and pass applicable crash test standards (as minimum safety features). Activity 4: Encourage global deployment of crash avoidance technologies with proven effectiveness such as Electronic Stability Control and Anti Lock Braking systems in motorcycles. Activity 5: Encourage use of fiscal and other incentives for motor vehicles that provide high levels of road user protection and discourage export of new and used cars that have reduced safety standards. Activity 6: Sustain investment in research and development of safety technologies that will improve vehicle safety and reduce risks to vulnerable road users.

Activity 7: Encourage managers of governments and private sector fleets to purchase and maintain vehicles that offer advanced safety technologies and high levels of occupant protection.

Examples of Front and Side Impact Regulations In Use

Three Point Seat Belts

Invented by Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin and patented in 1959, three point seat belts have saved more than one million lives. Wearing the belt reduces the risk of death or serious injury to drivers by about 50%. In a crash unbelted occupants will move at the same speed as the vehicle before the collision and will hit the interior structures (steering wheel etc). Using a belt stops this ‘catapult’ effect and distributes the force of the crash over the stronger parts of the body, whilst preventing ejection from the vehicle or impact with other occupants Wearing seat belts first became mandatory in Australia’s State of Victoria in 1970 and is now commonly applied around the world. Three point belts are now being integrated with other passive safety devices and use ‘pre-tensioners’ that pull the belt tight just before the air bag deploys and the impact occurs.

Crumple Zones

Invented by Mercedes-Benz engineer Bela Barenyi in the 1950s, crumple zones are a key feature of vehicle safety design. The task of a crumple zone is to absorb the kinetic energy released in a crash to protect the occupants. Barenyi showed that by controlling the deformation of of a vehicle energy could be directed away from the occupant cabin. By placing occupants in a rigid cell, surrounded by softer vehicle sections designed to collapse in a crash, the shock of the impact is directed away from the vulnerable humans in the vehicle. Crumple zones were first applied in 1959 to the Mercedes-Benz 220.

Air Bags Originally invented by John Hetrick a retired US engineer in 1953, air bags work as a safety cushion to automatically protect vehicle occupants in a crash. In order to pass the most common vehicle crash test standards for front and side impact it is necessary for manufacturers to install air bags. Air bags are a supplementary restraint system (SRS). They are intended to be used in conjunction with a seat belt and not as alternative. The first car with an air bag was the Oldsmobile Toronado in 1973. Ford made them standard equipment in 1990. Volvo introduced the first side impact system in 1995 and in 2006 Honda developed the first air bag system for motorcycles. The unit cost of an air bag has decreased by about 60% over the last twenty years.

No airbag and poor body shell integrity gives zero stars. But just adding an airbag (see below) makes no difference…

The combination of good body shell integrity and an airbag results in a survivable crash.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an active safety system that avoids loss of control (understeer or oversteer) skidding incidents. It is widely acknowledged to be the most important safety device since the seat belt. It works by detecting if the steering inputs of the driver are inconsistent with the vehicle’s direction of travel. If this happens ESC applies the brake to one of the wheels (using the anti-lock braking system) to correct the slide – see illustration. ESC has been mandatory in all new cars in Australia, Europe, and the USA since 2012. It is estimated that it can avoid up to 10,000 deaths annually in the USA and at least 4,000 in the EU. A global standard for ESC was adopted in 2008. The system also works on buses and trucks.

Vehicles & Pedestrian Safety

Regulations have been adopted in the EU and UN to promote the design of softer ‘forgiving’ car fronts to reduce injury to pedestrians. Crash rating for pedestrian protection is now also being applied by some NCAPs. The development of new crash avoidance systems such as Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with sensor systems used to detect pedestrians can lower impact speeds by up to 20 kph. Lowering collision speed is a vital factor in reducing the risk of injuries. This will maximise the benefit of softer and ‘forgiving’ car fronts and shows how better crashworthiness and crash avoidance can promote safety for pedestrians.

Motorcycle Safety The single most important safety feature for motor cycles is use of helmets. Wearing a helmet reduces risk and severity of injury by 72% and likelihood of death by 39% . The recommended global standard for helmets is UN Regulation 22.05. Anti lock brakes (ABS) is a global priority for motorcycles. ABS improves braking distances and has proven effectiveness in crash reduction. By 2017 ABS will be mandatory in the EU for all motorcycles in production. The growing use of ‘e-bikes’ requires regulatory action to curb a rising level of fatal and serious injuries. Control of power, maximum speed and braking performance plus mandating helmet use are desirable.

The Challenge of Older Vehicles

Hundreds of millions of motor vehicles on the road today do not meet important standards like the UN’s front and side crash tests. What can be done about this? • Apply an import requirement that mandates UN crash tests to stop entry of second

hand cars that do not pass these regulations • Strengthen vehicle inspection/roadworthiness tests to require improved safety

specification.

• Promote consumer awareness though publication of crash test results.

• Encourage adoption of vehicle scrappage schemes to remove older vehicles from the road.

Vehicle Roadworthiness Testing

Periodic technical inspection systems (PTI) ensure that motor vehicles maintain ‘in use’ safety and Environmental performance. Studies in the UK and Germany show that 10% of cars have a defect that would cause them to fail PTI tests. In the EU it is estimated that defects cause 6% of all EU car crashes, accounting for 2,000 fatalities yearly. Since 1977 the EU applies minimum PTI standards for cars, buses and coaches and heavy goods vehicles but not yet to powered two wheelers but is being discussed. The UN provides rules for PTI under a 1997 Agreement “Concerning the adoption of uniform conditions for periodical technical inspections of wheeled vehicles and the reciprocal recognition of such inspections”.

Fleet Safety Public and private fleets dominate new car sales. Fleet managers choices will raise demand for safer vehicles. Global NCAPs 2014 Fleet Safety Purchasers Guide recommends the purchase of ‘five star’ cars and also highlights the most important UN regulations promoting crash worthiness and avoidance. Examples of fleets applying a ‘five star’ policy are the mining company BHP Billiton and the governments of Australia and Sweden. The new ISO 39001 standard for Road Traffic Safety Management Systems and also encourages organisations with vehicle fleets to “improve safety by careful selection of the vehicles it uses.”

UN Decade’s 2020 Vision…

In 2013 from a total of 65 million new cars more than 20 million fail to meet UN crash test standards, have no air bags, no anti-lock brakes, and no electronic stability control.

If the Decade succeeds by 2020 all new cars will meet UN crash test standards with air bags, ABS and ESC fitted as standard. This needs governments to regulate and car makers to supply all markets with the similar quality vehicles.

Thank You!