Mohd Solah

Motorcyclist constituted more than 50% of road accident fatalities in Malaysia. Statistics showed
that most fatal motorcyclist crashes involved passenger cars: with sideswipe or side impact reported
to be the most frequent crash configurations. Many related studies, from local as well as overseas,
have been performed to completely understand such motorcycle crashes which resulted in many
safety inventions. These include installation of airbag onto motorcycle to study its effectiveness in
potentially reducing motorcyclist injury. Nevertheless, an exploratory study was required to study
airbag’s suitability for motorcycle with small engine capacity (cc) since previous studies known
mainly dealt with large cc motorcycles. Two different full scale crash tests of motorcycle (with and
without mounted airbag) side-impacting passenger car were conducted in accordance to ISO 13232.
The test results in terms of high-speed video recordings (crash kinematics), motorcycle damage
profiles and dummy injuries were analysed and discussed. It could be suggested from the results
obtained that an airbag system for small cc motorcycle is feasible and further study is needed for
better airbag concept and design which could reduce motorcyclist injury during collision.

This preliminary study explores a full scale vehicular crash test in which a motorcycle impacted a car in a right angle collision in an outdoor ground. The test utilized a customized fixture attached to an SUV as a propulsion system. Relevant data and high speed images were recorded for the analysis of motion, wheelbase shortening and deformation and damage assessment. The simulated test has certain kinematic similarity with other studies, especially prior to 100 ms timeframe. Beyond that, the motorcycle kinematics was less aggressive possibly due to lower impact speed and stability issue prior to impact. It was also showed that wheelbase shortening may likely reach the maximum for certain speed range for the class of motorcycle being tested. Lastly, assessment of motorcycle damage indicated that deformation occurred mainly from the steering stem base forward. All motorcycles did not exhibit any main-frame distortion.

Side impact crash test simulates a road crash wherein the side of a vehicle is being impacted, either perpendicularly or at an angle, by the front-end of another vehicle of about similar mass. In Malaysia, this crash configuration is the second leading cause of fatality and injury in road crashes after frontal collision. Extensive research have been carried out worldwide in order to mitigate occupant injury in side impact collision through provision of side impact protection system in vehicle such as side impact airbags and side door bars. As a result, various global regulations and consumer test requirements concerning side impacts have been established to evaluate the
effectiveness of the said protection system. Recently, the Malaysian government has implemented the United Nation’s regulation pertaining to side impact protection (UN Regulation 95) for new passenger vehicles in the country. Hence, as a newly established automobile safety rating programme in the region, the ASEAN New Car Assessment Programme (ASEAN NCAP) has a plan in the pipeline to implement UN R95 side impact crash test tentatively in its future assessment
scheme. A mobile deformable barrier (MDB) was developed as a preparation towards implementing the ASEAN NCAP’s side impact crashworthiness evaluation. This paper describes characteristics and requirements of the UN R95 as well as the development of the MDB according to the regulation. Several tests and improvements were conducted to ensure the MDB is reliable and having high repeatability for testing.

ASEAN New Car Assessment Program (ASEAN NCAP) is a newly established automobile safety rating program in the Southeast Asia region, which the primary objective is to provide consumers with vehicle safety information and concurrently acknowledge manufacturers’ effort in elevating vehicle safety level. This information is comprehensively gathered through
scientific and objective testing procedures in full scale crash test simulation. To ensure consistency and high repeatability, ASEAN NCAP operates standardized test and assessment protocols which utilize high-tech equipment and sensors, data acquisition system and also human surrogates (instrumented “dummies”). A point system is derived for marking purposes and a star rating scheme is designed to reflect the level of safety afforded to occupants. To cater for variation in crash
configurations, occupants’ sizes and kinematics as well as other potential risks during crash impacts, a point deduction system (penalty-based) named as “modifiers” were introduced. Hence,
this work attempts to describe the modifiers, their basis and justifications for inclusion in the safety rating scheme. A few case studies are demonstrated in this paper to enhance the understandings of modifiers concept.

– In car crashes, children are more likely to suffer more severe injuries than adults. For prevention, Child Restraint System (CRS) is normally used. However, inappropriate use of CRS may exacerbate injury risks. This research aims to determine the prevalence of CRS use and misuse among car owners, especially those travelling with children aged 11 years and below. A total of 178 parents were interviewed and 267 children were observed. Overall, only 12.7% children were properly restrained in CRS for their size, with the correct installation and appropriate seating position. Prior to CRS law implementation, initiatives such as awareness campaigns, community based programs and CRS clinics should be introduced.

Two sets of new and in-service helmets were impact tested using a drop test machine, in accordance to established helmet test protocols. The first test for full helmets was executed in compliance with standard speed requirements of 5.9 m/s in which three of five new helmets performed poorly. The second set utilized lower impact speed of 4 m/s for individual helmet components test. New helmet liners absorbed 5 times more impact energy than the in-service liners while the new shell was 19.3% better in dispersing impact energy than the in-service shell. The undesirable changes in liner thickness have explicit effect on the liner density which is translated into reduction in energy absorbing potential. In brief, exposure to weathering stresses and use intensities has affected helmet impact performance, regardless of service duration.

This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of automotive tinting popularity among car users in Malaysia. While comfort (heat and glare) and security stand among the main reasons behind the popularity, there is however, some notable safety arguments about the automotive tinting. The prevailing regulation on auto tinting, which is dubbed as " outdated and unfair " , had caused public uproar about the permissible limit in terms of Visible Light Transmission (VLT). The results from the most recent survey on automotive consumerism are used in the discussion, together with two previous MIROS' studies i.e. on weather issues and the auto tinting consultation report to the Ministry of Transport Malaysia (MOT). The highlights, among others, were about the aftermarket behavior among car users in Klang Valley. Out of 265 respondents, approximately 70% of them had done the tinting to their current (main) car with the declared mean and maximum cost of MYR 780.81 and MYR 4,000.00, respectively. Also, the result has supported that the auto tinting together with the tires are the most popular aftermarket items for modification and retrofitting among the car users.

Mobile phone distraction is a global issue in road safety perspective especially involving the pedestrians. A lot of research findings had suggested that the use of mobile phone increase the risk for pedestrians while crossing the road, but there have been very few studies that could explain the said threat in Malaysia's situation. This study aims to identify the distracted pedestrian behaviour via the video recording method. More than 300 samples were observed as involved in mobile phone distractions while crossing the roads from a total of approximately 1,500 analysed samples. The study also found that the highest mode of distraction observed among pedestrians was the " handheld usage " (conversing) as compared to the " hands-free " and " application usage " modes. In addition, the distractions had significantly affected the time to cross and the observed road users who were involved in " application usage " took longer time to cross. These results provide a prevalence material that may be useful in the development of countermeasures.