Technical Sessions

Mr. José Manuel Barrios, IDIADA Automotive Technology SA, Spain
Mr. Arturo Dávila, IDIADA Automotive Technology SA, Spain
Mr. René Molina, IDIADA Automotive Technology SA, Spain
Dr. Juan José Alba, University of Zaragoza, Spain
Mr. Juan Luís de Miguel, Centro Zaragoza, Instituto de investigación sobre reparación de vehículos, S.A., Spain

Key words Motorcyclist safety, road restraint systems, simulation, materials, integrated safety

Subject D5 - Protection of Vulnerable Road User (pedestrian, bicycle). D6 - Road Infrastructure and Vehicle Safety.

Abstract Worldwide, 1.2 million people die in road crashes yearly; 43,000 just in Europe. This implies a cost to the European society of approximately 160 billion euro, making use of 10% of all health care resources. Sharp objects like crash barriers may lead vulnerable road users into serious injuries. Different road restraint system designs have been developed in recent years to improve vulnerable road users' safety.

SMART RRS is an FP7 SST 2007 RTD1 European collaborative project funded by the EC with the participation of 10 institutions from 5 countries. The project aims to develop a new smart road restraint system that will reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused in road traffic accidents by integrating primary and tertiary sensor systems in a new Road Restraint System, providing greater protection to all road users, warning motorists and emergency services of danger for prevention purposes and alerting emergency teams of accidents as they happen to minimize response time to the exact location of the incident.

This new smart restraint system will: o Reduce the number of accidents through better information on the actual state of the road and traffic flow (climatic conditions, traffic flow, obstructions). o Eliminate dangerous profiles from road restraint systems (crash barriers) that currently endanger vulnerable road users. o Optimise road safety by providing exact information of where and when accidents happen in real-time.

This paper will analyse the actual state of the art in road restraint systems, sensors and will provide the status of the design of a new road restraint system that combines friendlier security features and interaction between vehicles, riders, emergency personnel and infrastructure.

Author's statement This paper is original and will be based on the latest developments of the SMART RRS project at the time of publication. It will not be presented in the same form elsewhere.

This abstract is supplemented by a PDF, which can be viewed here.

Session: Mixed Topics in Safety