Driver’s Injury Severity in Light N1 Vehicles Derived from Crash Test

Abstract

Light N1 vehicles, also known as Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs), of two types are being considered for this study: panel vans and small lorries. This paper presents the causes of driver injury in light N1 vehicles derived from official ASEAN NCAP crash test data. Companies employ all sorts of vehicles to help expedite the delivery process, but having considered the large amounts of orders globally, keeping costs low is also of top priority. To overcome this problem, companies now employ the use of LCVs, which not only are smaller in size allowing them to maneuver through small lanes easily but are relatively inexpensive to run in comparison to their larger counterparts. LCVs fall under the N1 category of vehicles which is an EU classification of vehicles that are used to carry goods of maximum mass not exceeding 3.5 tons and they commonly can be found carrying goods either on the exposed cargo trunk or within a compartment at the
rear of the vehicle. However, the structural integrity and crashworthiness performance of these vehicles were hardly a point of focus, and this increases the potential risk of severe injury or fatality among the occupants. The rising numbers of light N1 vehicles on public roads are of great concern due to the lack of technical data concerning stability and crash protection. To have a look into this issue, a detailed analysis of the ASEAN NCAP crash test result along with high-speed videos will determine the causes of the driver’s injury during the frontal collision. The results of these tests would provide a detailed understanding of driver injury on the head, chest, and leg upon impact, and would then allow the development of effective countermeasures to enhance the safety level of this vehicle segment in the ASEAN region.