Citation

Kalthoff W, Buhrmann R, Meyer E. Collision 2007; 2(1): 52-56.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Collision Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article describes a crash test that was carried out in the Netherlands with the aid of innovative technology. Under Dutch police's safety rules, in the event of a traffic accident on a motorway the first police vehicle arriving at the scene must be used to shield the accident scene. To do so, the police vehicle must be parked 100 meters away at an angle with the front wheels facing in the direction of moving traffic, the handbrake on and the gear lever in the neutral position. To demonstrate this fend-off position, a crash test simulated a car crashing into a stationary police vehicle on a motorway. The high speed was 107 kph, which is realistic for Dutch motorways. The test vehicle was remotely controlled in order to carry out the test at the planned high speed without having to use a permanently installed crash facility. The test showed that the distance as stipulated by authorities of 100 meters between a deliberately positioned police car and an accident is reasonable in this speed range. Results also showed that both vehicles would turn about their vertical axes in this type of collision.