COVER

Coordination of Vehicle and Road Safety Initiatives

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'In 2005, around 41,600 people were killed and more than 1.7 million injured in European road accidents. Although the number of road fatalities has declined by more than 17% since 2001, greater efforts will have to be made if the European Commission’s target of halving the number of deaths on the roads by 2010 is to be met. To realise the targets for road safety in the future, stakeholders indicate the necessity of integrating research capacities currently existing or emerging as far as possible. For this purpose the general objectives of COVER are to develop a harmonised and consistent direction of research and to accelerate the implementation of research findings of four complementary EU and US initiatives dealing with road and, in particular, vehicle safety. To maximise the benefits gained from the individual initiatives synergies between the projects will be fully exploited by coordinating the exchange and usage of results, joining dissemination actions towards relevant stakeholders, and exchanging of best practices and policies with respect to relevant aspects like test methods and deployment strategies. For the objective of dissemination – both towards relevant high-level stakeholders and the general public – a coordinated approach will be an important factor in providing a clear message and obtaining the necessary visibility. This visibility of research results will be the precondition of the effective deployment in vehicle safety products and enhanced test and evaluation methods Subsequently, COVER brings together coordinators of three FP7 and, relevant for harmonisation with the US, one USDOT initiative. Together with partners from the participating projects the coordinators identified joined research activities needed to enable the introduction of new vehicle safety technologies and related test and evaluation methods in an efficient (cost and time) manner.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

An EU project coordinated four other projects aiming to reduce automotive injuries. The cooperation resulted in the adoption of new crash testing standards, addressing a wider range of body sizes than conventionally tested, and including new sensors.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Road traffic is almost universally seen as negative, for which many in Europe propose technological solutions, particularly in safety terms. In spite of improvements, measures remain optimised for 'average' occupants; hence, the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) has supported four projects aiming to enhance safety for people of all sizes.

Acting as a coordinator for those projects was the EU-funded project 'Coordination of vehicle and road safety initiatives' (http://www.biomechanics-coordination.eu (COVER)) . The projects collectively addressed issues where variation from the biometric average affects safety, specifically: adult thoracic injuries and restraints for children. COVER coordinated the projects, especially concerning joint collection and analysis of data. In addition, the project developed a consistent direction of research, accelerated implementation of findings and organised joint dissemination to key stakeholders regarding new test methods. The seven-member consortium began work in 2009 and concluded in 2013.

The first activity was coordination of an accident survey affecting two projects. Results were presented at a conference and to a relevant industry group. In addition, COVER compiled a list of over 700 stakeholder representatives, maintained for all targeted projects.

Soon after commencement, the consortium launched a public website. Other dissemination work included production of five annual newsletters, and one leaflet, aimed at the automotive community. Furthermore, the project organised public workshops on child and thoracic injuries. Results of the workshops were also published as proceedings.

In addition, the group organised a series of stakeholder visits and meetings, the outcomes of which were forwarded to Euro NCAP. Hence, the use of female-analogue crash test dummies has been included in future protocols. Additional proposed improvements included use of abdominal sensors and various other dummy modifications. The dummy-related achievements are considered a key success of the project.

As a result of COVER, research work among the four automotive safety projects has been more effectively coordinated and disseminated. The joint communication has resulted in important modifications to crash-test protocols being implemented, leading to improved safety for all car occupants.