Vehicle mismatch – a case study

Abstract

Sport utility vehicles (SUV) gain more popularity and with more manufacturers being involved in their production their accessibility rises as well. This however creates an opportunity for collisions with smaller passenger vehicles. There is obvious mismatch in weight, stiffness and height between SUVs and other, smaller passenger vehicles. Furthermore, the average age of passenger vehicles in Czech Republic is over 15 years. Even when these older vehicles crash even with vehicle of similar weight and build, there is a significant mismatch in stiffness and safety equipment (especially airbags). These kinds of vehicle mismatches thus create risk of more serious injuries in case of crashes. The Czech In-Depth Accident Study project (CzIDAS) collects on-site crash data and injury data for further analysis of traffic accidents in order to present traffic risk factors. Analysis of vehicles’ collision speed and damage is carried out and verified using simulation programme calculation, information about passengers’ injuries is obtained from contracted hospital facilities. The traffic accidents presented in this case study serve to showcase the risks associated with vehicle mismatch crashes, currently happening on roads of Czech Republic.