In recent years, the automotive industry has made significant progress in advancing crash safety technologies. The recent developments of Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) are aiming to increase crash safety by mitigating and reducing road crashes. The focus is broadening to the European Union’s Vision Zero initiative, which aims for zero fatalities and injuries on the road. Efforts are being directed towards creating compatibility between different vehicle types and research into crash-tolerant structures that can withstand different impact angles. But is it possible to achieve zero road crashes?
The Reality of Mixed Traffic Scenarios
Despite advances in automated vehicles (AV), accidents are still inevitable due to the co-existence of human-driven and automated vehicles. This hybrid traffic situation creates the need to identify critical accident scenarios and improve legal requirements and testing methods. Over 90% of road accidents in Europe are attributed to human error highlights the need for identification of the new crash scenarios.
The transformative potential of AVs to mitigate these accidents through ADAS is being explored. However, the coexistence of human-driven and AVs on the same roads creates new safety challenges. The transition to mixed traffic—where both human-driven and AVs share the road—requires identifying critical accident scenarios and improving legal frameworks, testing methods, and safety measures. Recent research projects highlight the importance of adapting to these evolving dynamics by focusing on future crash scenarios and developing advanced solutions.
Identification future crash scenarios
The identification of future crash scenarios is a very complex and laborious process. It is based on previous research projects and the analysis of historical accident databases and information. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) and the analysis of historical accident data and also simulation tools such as during FlexCrash project developed scenario generator can be used to identify patterns that can be helpful to predict future accidents.
Some of the key enablers for identification of future crash scenarios are:
- Increasing Scenario Complexity: Accounting for diverse traffic environments and behaviours.
- Virtual Testing and Simulation: Utilizing advanced simulation tools to model and test potential scenarios.
- Data-Driven Approaches: Harnessing large datasets to refine predictions and solutions.
- Standardization Efforts: Establishing consistent testing and validation protocols across the industry.
- Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging partnerships between industry stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers.
The research efforts also shed light on the evolving dynamics of accident scenarios. From rear-end collisions to left turn and head-on collisions, the introduction of ADAS and ADS systems is changing the landscape of accident configurations. While the reduction of rear-end collisions by ADAS systems is encouraging, the emergence of new challenges, such as intersection crashes, requires innovative safety technologies and solutions to also upgrade existing safety designs.
According to the literature, the relevant crash scenarios will primarily focus on inner-city and peri-urban situations, such as left turn across path (LTAP) scenarios, with more oblique crash angles than those currently tested. Straight crossing path (SCP) scenarios leading to a more traditional front crash scenario for the automated vehicle also need to be considered.
Contribution of FlexCrash project
The FlexCrash project represents a pivotal step toward addressing these emerging challenges. The main goal of the project is to use hybrid manufacturing technologies to apply surface patterns using additive manufacturing, with either locally strengthening purposes for the not desired to deform parts, or locally weaken the parts to deform (Crashbox etc.) as well as integration of active systems to maintain mass reduction goals while maintaining safety requirements. The future load cases defined in the project are to be used to validate the front-end concepts, which are developed throughout the project. In this way, FlexCrash contributes to the industry via not only by showing the possible future crash scenarios but also by developing new safety concepts, which are serving to make cars safer for these scenarios.
Within FlexCrash, Virtual Vehicle Research GmbH has the task of conducting comprehensive literature and drawing insights from previous projects research, such as OSCCAR and Waymo among others. The research institute also plays an important role in defining future crash scenarios and virtual validation of the developed concepts. There are already 3 load cases, which are derived from future crash scenarios, defined in the first phase of the project by the research institute.
Toward safer roads
While the introduction of ADAS into the traffic will probably not be enough to achieve zero crashes, it will definitely mark a significant leap increasing the safety of the roads. The landscape of accident configurations will be different than the current ones, however thanks to FlexCrash alike projects, we will be prepared for that change.
Through collaboration, innovation, and commitment to safety, the vision of safer roads is becoming a reality. Through achieving zero road crashes may be a distant goal, yet the advancements being made today lay a strong foundation for a future where such an inspiration might become attainable.
