RESEARCH & EVALUATION

Vehicle Safety Research

Vehicle Safety

Resources
Reports Library (rosap)

The Office of Vehicle Safety Research and supports U.S. DOT’s and NHTSA’s safety goals by conducting research and safety testing of motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment. 

NHTSA’s recently published vehicle safety reports are listed chronologically below.



139 Results
Title
 

Safety of the Intended Functionality of Lane- Centering and Lane- Changing Maneuvers of a Generic Level 3 Highway Chauffeur System

This report describes the findings from applying Safety of the Intended Functionality (SOTIF) concepts as described in (ISO) Publicly Available Specification 21448 to the lane-changing and lane-centering maneuvers of a generic Level 3 highway chauffeur system. This report compares the SOTIF process described in PAS 21448 with the automotive industry’s voluntary functional safety standard, ISO 26262. This report then develops a generalized Level 3 highway chauffeur system based on discussions with stakeholders and a literature search, and identifies potential vehicle-level hazards, triggering events, and SOTIF mitigation measures for the generalized system. Finally, this report presents an approach for developing candidate scenarios to evaluate triggering events and discusses current SOTIF evaluation approaches.

 DOT HS 812 879

Biofidelity Report of the THOR 5th Percentile Anthropomorphic Test Device

Three prototype anthropomorphic test devices (ATD) were fabricated to evaluate the biofidelity of a newly designed THOR 5thth percentile female ATD. This report focuses on the biofidelity responses derived from testing one of these ATDs. There were a total of 23 biofidelity test conditions that included the head, neck, shoulder, thorax, abdomen, knee-thigh-hip complex, and lower extremity. Three repeated tests were conducted on a single ATD for each test condition. The biofidelity was objectively scored in accordance with NHTSA’s Biofidelity Ranking System (BioRank). Three prototype ATDs were fabricated to evaluate the biofidelity of a newly design THOR 5thth percentile female ATD. The BioRank score of each body region was scored and the overall BioRank score of the dummy (i.e., the average of all body regions) was less than 2.0, corresponding to “good” biofidelity.

 DOT HS 812 853

Cybersecurity of Firmware Updates

Over-the-Air (OTA) software and firmware updates are essential for networked devices. In the automotive industry, OTA firmware updates are anticipated to increase the efficiency and decrease the time in updating the critical firmware in vehicles’ electronic control units. This project had these objectives: understand the scope and relevant attributes of firmware updates, understand their vulnerabilities and update solutions, understand mitigation methods, and learn from adjacent industries. The report first presents a literature and technology review of the state-of-the-art of software updates in industries related to automotive, including the commercial aviation, medical, and consumer electronics industries. Next it identifies and assesses software update functionality risks in current and near-term future automobiles. Finally, it reviews mitigation methods to address those risks. In addition, this report describes the SAE AS5553A voluntary standard for the detection of and protection against counterfeit electronic parts in the aerospace industry and how it relates to the automotive industry.

 DOT HS 812 807

Functional Safety Research Considerations for Heavy Vehicles

Industry standard ISO 26262, Road Vehicles - Functional Safety, currently applies to vehicles with gross vehicle mass up to 3,500 kg (7,716 lb), which excludes trucks and buses. This study documents factors that might necessitate functional safety approaches to have different considerations between different weight classes of vehicles and to explore how the heavy-vehicle industry is currently applying functional safety to its electrical and electronic systems. Heavy vehicles differ from light vehicles in the systems they comprise, the ways they are developed, and how they are used. The heavy-vehicle industry is applying the principles of functional safety through established systems engineering practices or the general industry standard IEC 61508. A revision of ISO 26262 that will expand the scope to include trucks and buses was in the committee draft stage at the time this study was conducted. The revision is expected to clarify the demarcation between a truck and attached vocational equipment and to account for the wider variance in heavy vehicles, but not to fundamentally change the process deriving the requirements for functional safety.

 DOT HS 812 922

Occupant Safety in Vehicles Equipped With Automated Driving Systems, Part 1: Initial Evaluation of Usability, Stability, and Injury Prediction Capabilities

This project sought to perform an initial evaluation of the usability, stability, and potential injury prediction capabilities for two human body models (GHBMC-M50-O and GHBMC-M50-OS) and the NHTSA THOR FE anthropomorphic test device model in occupant postures that will become more possible with automated driving systems. Postures examined degrees of seat recline, inboard seat rotation, occupants turned in their seats, and occupants leaning against the belts in sleep-like posture. Collision scenarios included moving deformable barrier impacts at PDOFs around the vehicle. All simulations were performed with the occupant seated in the right front passenger position. Restraints included a front passenger air bag, a side curtain air bag, a side torso air bag, and a 3-point seat belt. Approximately 175 full vehicle simulations were performed and analyzed.

 DOT HS 812 904

Baseline Analysis of Driver Performance at Intersections for the Left-Turn Assist (LTA) and Intersection Movement Assist (IMA) Applications

This study supports development of left turn assist (LTA) and intersection movement assist (IMA) applications that provide warnings to drivers crossing intersections. It supports improved intersection collision warning applications design by enhancing understanding of intersection behavior, identifying metrics and test procedures through analysis of real-world data, and providing information used to reduce false alerts and nuisance alerts. A literature review identifies previous research into metrics for driver behavior at intersections, and databases from two naturalistic driving studies were queried to identify scenarios that could be analyzed as examples of normal or baseline turning behavior. Crashes were also identified in a national crash database and analyzed as examples of driving where alert would have been useful.
 

 DOT HS 812 914

Occupant Safety in Vehicles Equipped With Automated Driving Systems, Part 3: Biofidelity Evaluation of GHBMC M50-OS Against Laboratory Sled Tests

This project sought to perform an initial evaluation of the usability, stability, and potential injury prediction capabilities for two human body models (GHBMC-M50-O and GHBMC-M50-OS) and the NHTSA THOR FE anthropomorphic test device model in occupant postures that will become more possible with automated driving systems. Postures examined degrees of seat recline, inboard seat rotation, occupants turned in their seats, and occupants leaning against the belts in sleep-like posture. Collision scenarios included moving deformable barrier impacts at PDOFs around the vehicle. All simulations were performed with the occupant seated in the right front passenger position. Restraints included a front passenger air bag, a side curtain air bag, a side torso air bag, and a 3-point seat belt. Approximately 175 full vehicle simulations were performed and analyzed.

 DOT HS 812 905

Vehicle Bumper Performance in Part 581 vs. Pedestrian Leg Protection

The objective of this study was to determine if it was possible for a single bumper design to perform well with respect to both pedestrian protection and Part 581 bumper damageability requirements.  This possibility was investigated by testing various bumper configurations for a “global platform” vehicle, the Ford Focus, following both the European New Car Assessment Programme Pedestrian Testing Protocol and the CFR 49 Part 581 Bumper Standard. The findings indicated that while there were some differences depending on impact location, the E.U. and U.S. versions performed similarly in both lower and upper legform testing.  In Part 581 bumper damageability testing, due to the softer central area and intrusion of the bumper pendulum into the hood, the E.U. version sustained much higher forces and more damage than the U.S. version.  While they were much higher than the U.S. version, the E.U. version forces were below Part 581 limits; however, the damage was significant.

 DOT HS 812 942

Parameter Study of the OMDB Test Procedure

Oblique impact configurations account for a significant amount of real-world accidents. Compared to frontal crashes, these have different occupant kinematics and vehicle intrusion patterns. Consequently, a new oblique impact test is being developed and investigated by NHTSA. For example, offset moving deformable barrier (OMDB) impact velocity and occupant seating position can only be controlled within certain limits. Finite element simulations, consisting of detailed computer models of a vehicle, the OMDB, the THOR crash test dummy, and relevant restraints and interiors were used. Advanced design of experiment methods were applied to determine the importance of parameters and their effect on the vehicle and occupant criteria.

 DOT HS 812 845

THOR-50M Durability Report

This study evaluates the durability of the THOR-50M in elevated energy qualification tests. The durability baseline tests for each body region were performed according the procedures described in the THOR 50th Percentile Male THOR-50M Qualification Procedures Manual.  Baseline tests were run at the qualification speed and the durability tests were performed at speeds corresponding to energy level increases of 10 percent, 20 percent, and 30 percent. A final baseline test was performed at the prescribed standard qualification test velocity. The two baseline tests were compared to determine if deterioration in the components could be detected in the data. To allow for recovery of parts after impacts, the minimum wait time between tests followed the prescribed allowance in the Qualification Procedures Manual.

 DOT HS 812 869