ASEAN New Car Assessment Program (ASEAN NCAP) is a newly established automobile safety rating pro... more 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.
This preliminary study explores a full scale vehicular crash test in which a motorcycle impacted ... more 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.
This study attempts to explore the possible factors contributing to pedestrian injury severity in... more This study attempts to explore the possible factors contributing to pedestrian injury severity in road accidents in Malaysia using binary logistic regression method. Data from 4,143 pedestrian-vehicle accidents, which were reported by police, during the period of 2006-2008, were obtained from the MIROS Road Accident Analysis and Database System (MROADS) and used in the analyses in this study. The results showed that gender, age, injury location, pedestrian action, day of accident, light condition, and striking vehicle type are significant risk factors influencing pedestrian injury severity.
Motorcyclist constituted more than 50% of road accident fatalities in Malaysia. Statistics showed... more 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.
Despite of its effectiveness in increasing seatbelt use, limited studies were conducted to unders... more Despite of its effectiveness in increasing seatbelt use, limited studies were conducted to understand the influence of Seatbelt Reminder (SBR) system on seatbelt usage among car occupants particularly drivers in Malaysia. This study was conducted to determine seatbelt usage among car drivers in Klang Valley. In addition, knowledge and practice on SBR, as well as perception, believe usefulness and acceptance towards both seatbelt and SBR system were also studied. Survey method was used for this study. A total of 502 respondents who were active car drivers were interviewed in the survey. Approximately 56.2% of the respondents interviewed reported that they “Always/Often” wore seatbelts while driving. The most common reasons the respondents indicated as to why they occasionally use seatbelts include “discomfort” (42.5%), “short trip” (40.7%) and “forgetfulness” (26.6%). “It is a law” (82.8%) is one of the main reasons that influenced the respondents’ behavior for using seatbelts. Almost two-thirds of the respondents (63.8%) knew about the SBR system. The results also indicate that the SBR with audio and visual reminders would help to alert the respondents better to wear seatbelts as compared to the SBR with audio reminder only. About 80.8% of the respondents agreed that the SBR system is an important car safety feature. The survey indicates low seatbelt wearing rate among car drivers in Klang Valley. Moreover, most of the respondents agreed that the SBR system would help to remind them to wear seatbelts. The findings from this study could encourage more car manufacturers to equip their cars with the SBR system and at the same time, it is hoped seatbelt usage would increase.
The newly established New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP) has i... more The newly established New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP) has incorporated Safety Assist Technologies (SATs) in its automobile safety
rating scheme. In order for any assessed car to be eligible for the maximum 5-star rating, it should first be equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and fitted with seatbelt reminder (SBR). However, since these SATs are not being evaluated in their performance by the means of field testing, this paper explains the benefit of having these SATs through Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) which help to rationalize the importance of SATs in preventing road accidents or mitigating severity of injuries. Due to data limitation, this preliminary CBA assessment will only be focusing on Malaysia‟s situation and is based on published sources and the authors‟ best estimates. This study also includes the Cost-Benefit Analysis on Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), which is the basis for ESC technology, in preparation for its inclusion in the future rating scheme to expedite the vision of making ABS as standard fit in all ASEAN‟s passenger cars. The preliminary result shows that all technologies – ESC, SBR and ABS – appear to be cost-effective (benefit/cost-ratio > 3) or most likely cost effective (1 < benefit/cost-ratio < 3) in Malaysia‟s road safety situation per se.
Side impact crash test simulates a road crash wherein the side of a vehicle is being impacted, ei... more 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.
The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of road accidents involving in... more The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of road accidents involving injured pedestrians in Malaysia. The data of pedestrian-vehicle accidents during the period of 2006-2008 were obtained from MIROS Road Accident Analysis and Database System (M-ROADS) which utilize road accident data from police database and used for the analysis. The results showed that injured pedestrians were mainly children and male. The majority of pedestrian deaths occurred between 1200 and 1959 hours and were significantly higher during weekdays. Head/face and legs/hips are the most common types of injuries suffered by pedestrians. Unsafe behaviour is one of the main factors attributed to pedestrian casualties. Collision with either heavy goods vehicle or bus in a singular vehicular accident event is more likely to result in a fatal outcome to pedestrian.
Two sets of new and in-service helmets were impact tested using a drop test machine, in accordanc... more 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 explains the cycle road crash trend, characteristics and injuries in Malaysia. It anal... more This paper explains the cycle road crash trend, characteristics and injuries in Malaysia. It analyses the in-depth road crash investigation data collected by the Royal Malaysian Police which was made available to MIROS crash database. Fatality data was utilized due to its consistency. Cycle casualties reflected a continual downward pattern for year 2009 to 2014 in which the number of cycle crash involvement reduced by 49% and fatalities dropped by 42%. Among the prevalent factors of cycle fatalities are >60 age group, federal and state roads and straight road sections, rural and small towns, evening peak hours, and mainly involving cars and motorcycles. It is hoped that all these information would spark interests to improve cycle safety in Malaysia.
Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 575), 2014
Two sets of new and in-service helmets were impact tested using a drop test machine, in accordanc... more 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.
ASEAN New Car Assessment Program (ASEAN NCAP) is a newly established automobile safety rating pro... more 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.
This preliminary study explores a full scale vehicular crash test in which a motorcycle impacted ... more 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.
This study attempts to explore the possible factors contributing to pedestrian injury severity in... more This study attempts to explore the possible factors contributing to pedestrian injury severity in road accidents in Malaysia using binary logistic regression method. Data from 4,143 pedestrian-vehicle accidents, which were reported by police, during the period of 2006-2008, were obtained from the MIROS Road Accident Analysis and Database System (MROADS) and used in the analyses in this study. The results showed that gender, age, injury location, pedestrian action, day of accident, light condition, and striking vehicle type are significant risk factors influencing pedestrian injury severity.
Motorcyclist constituted more than 50% of road accident fatalities in Malaysia. Statistics showed... more 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.
Despite of its effectiveness in increasing seatbelt use, limited studies were conducted to unders... more Despite of its effectiveness in increasing seatbelt use, limited studies were conducted to understand the influence of Seatbelt Reminder (SBR) system on seatbelt usage among car occupants particularly drivers in Malaysia. This study was conducted to determine seatbelt usage among car drivers in Klang Valley. In addition, knowledge and practice on SBR, as well as perception, believe usefulness and acceptance towards both seatbelt and SBR system were also studied. Survey method was used for this study. A total of 502 respondents who were active car drivers were interviewed in the survey. Approximately 56.2% of the respondents interviewed reported that they “Always/Often” wore seatbelts while driving. The most common reasons the respondents indicated as to why they occasionally use seatbelts include “discomfort” (42.5%), “short trip” (40.7%) and “forgetfulness” (26.6%). “It is a law” (82.8%) is one of the main reasons that influenced the respondents’ behavior for using seatbelts. Almost two-thirds of the respondents (63.8%) knew about the SBR system. The results also indicate that the SBR with audio and visual reminders would help to alert the respondents better to wear seatbelts as compared to the SBR with audio reminder only. About 80.8% of the respondents agreed that the SBR system is an important car safety feature. The survey indicates low seatbelt wearing rate among car drivers in Klang Valley. Moreover, most of the respondents agreed that the SBR system would help to remind them to wear seatbelts. The findings from this study could encourage more car manufacturers to equip their cars with the SBR system and at the same time, it is hoped seatbelt usage would increase.
The newly established New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP) has i... more The newly established New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP) has incorporated Safety Assist Technologies (SATs) in its automobile safety
rating scheme. In order for any assessed car to be eligible for the maximum 5-star rating, it should first be equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and fitted with seatbelt reminder (SBR). However, since these SATs are not being evaluated in their performance by the means of field testing, this paper explains the benefit of having these SATs through Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) which help to rationalize the importance of SATs in preventing road accidents or mitigating severity of injuries. Due to data limitation, this preliminary CBA assessment will only be focusing on Malaysia‟s situation and is based on published sources and the authors‟ best estimates. This study also includes the Cost-Benefit Analysis on Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), which is the basis for ESC technology, in preparation for its inclusion in the future rating scheme to expedite the vision of making ABS as standard fit in all ASEAN‟s passenger cars. The preliminary result shows that all technologies – ESC, SBR and ABS – appear to be cost-effective (benefit/cost-ratio > 3) or most likely cost effective (1 < benefit/cost-ratio < 3) in Malaysia‟s road safety situation per se.
Side impact crash test simulates a road crash wherein the side of a vehicle is being impacted, ei... more 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.
The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of road accidents involving in... more The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of road accidents involving injured pedestrians in Malaysia. The data of pedestrian-vehicle accidents during the period of 2006-2008 were obtained from MIROS Road Accident Analysis and Database System (M-ROADS) which utilize road accident data from police database and used for the analysis. The results showed that injured pedestrians were mainly children and male. The majority of pedestrian deaths occurred between 1200 and 1959 hours and were significantly higher during weekdays. Head/face and legs/hips are the most common types of injuries suffered by pedestrians. Unsafe behaviour is one of the main factors attributed to pedestrian casualties. Collision with either heavy goods vehicle or bus in a singular vehicular accident event is more likely to result in a fatal outcome to pedestrian.
Two sets of new and in-service helmets were impact tested using a drop test machine, in accordanc... more 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 explains the cycle road crash trend, characteristics and injuries in Malaysia. It anal... more This paper explains the cycle road crash trend, characteristics and injuries in Malaysia. It analyses the in-depth road crash investigation data collected by the Royal Malaysian Police which was made available to MIROS crash database. Fatality data was utilized due to its consistency. Cycle casualties reflected a continual downward pattern for year 2009 to 2014 in which the number of cycle crash involvement reduced by 49% and fatalities dropped by 42%. Among the prevalent factors of cycle fatalities are >60 age group, federal and state roads and straight road sections, rural and small towns, evening peak hours, and mainly involving cars and motorcycles. It is hoped that all these information would spark interests to improve cycle safety in Malaysia.
Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 575), 2014
Two sets of new and in-service helmets were impact tested using a drop test machine, in accordanc... more 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.
Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 2014
Seatbelt Reminder (SBR) system has been proven in studies overseas to be very effective in increa... more Seatbelt Reminder (SBR) system has been proven in studies overseas to be very effective in increasing compliance usage rate among vehicle occupants. Nevertheless, despite of its effectiveness, limited studies were conducted to understand the influence of SBR on seatbelt usage among vehicle occupants in Malaysia, particularly in Klang Valley. Hence, this study was conducted to determine if there were differences in drivers’ and front passengers’ seatbelt wearing rates between passenger vehicles with and without SBRs. In addition, seatbelt wearing rates of frontal occupants in vehicles equipped with SBRs of two different type of reminders (visual-only and audiovisual) was also compared and studied. The results revealed that drivers recorded higher percentage of total seatbelt wearing rate with 85.3% as compared to front passengers with 71.5%. The study also showed remarkable findings where drivers in vehicles fitted with SBRs were two times more likely to wear seatbelt than those in vehicles without. Moreover, it was found that seatbelt wearing rates were higher for audiovisual SBRs as compared to SBRs with visual-only reminder. The results of this study is very important especially to government to introduce SBRs as mandatory safety feature in passenger vehicles. It is hoped through standard fitment of this technology in Malaysian passenger vehicles, seatbelt wearing among Malaysian would positively increase. Moreover, the findings from the case study strongly justify for the inclusion of SBRs into ASEAN NCAP rating. One of the recommendations highlighted is to enhance ASEAN NCAP rating scheme by including the SBR as compulsory 4-star and 5-star pre-requisites for front passenger seats and rear passenger seats (second row and beyond), respectively.
In its bid to become a developed nation in a few years' time, Malaysia has to consider various pr... more In its bid to become a developed nation in a few years' time, Malaysia has to consider various prevailing socioeconomic and socio-technical issues in the country. In the transportation sector per se, the ELV policy and initiative is one of the lacking parts in the country's automotive ecosystem – in which a successful ELV program will not only cater the environmental concern but also help the safer car initiative for road users. This particular paper discusses what is regarded as the preliminary findings on the ELV policy from the Malaysia's automotive ecosystem study database. From a total of 484 respondents, 268 or 55.4% had agreed to the proposal to introduce an age limit for passenger vehicles in Malaysia. The majority of those who gave their nod to the policy choose 10 years of vehicle age as the limit (38.9%), and a staggering 79.8% of them supposed that the age limit should be between 5 to 10 years. Further analysis based on the Multiple Logistic Regression found out that from a total of nine important variables related to car users' profile and ownership status, the significant predictors to " the agreement to introduce vehicle age limit " were age, income and car status (new or used). Thus, this finding might be beneficial for the policymakers to strategize the ELV policy that sooner or later should be implemented in the Malaysia's "developed country" environment.
Mobile phone distraction is a global issue in road safety perspective especially involving the pe... more 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.
This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of automotive tinting popularity among car use... more 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.
This report highlights several important findings of a study on seatbelt wearing in passenger veh... more This report highlights several important findings of a study on seatbelt wearing in passenger vehicles with Seatbelt Reminders (SBRs) in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Seatbelt Reminder (SBR) system has been proven in studies overseas to be very effective in increasing compliance usage rate among vehicle occupants. Nevertheless, despite its effectiveness, limited studies were conducted to understand the influence of SBR on seatbelt usage among vehicle occupants in the country, particularly in Klang Valley. Hence, this study was conducted to determine between passenger vehicles with and without SBRs. In addition, seatbelt wearing rates of frontal occupants in vehicles equipped with SBRs of two different types of reminders (visual-only and audiovisual) was also compared and studied. In addition, knowledge and practice on SBR, as well as perception, believe usefulness and acceptance towards both seatbelt and SBR system were also studied. Two methods were used in these studies which are roadside observation and survey.
Results of the roadside observation revealed that drivers recorded the higher percentage of total seatbelt wearing rate with 85.3% as compared to front passengers with 71.5%. The study also showed remarkable findings where drivers in vehicles fitted with SBRs were two times more likely to wear a seatbelt than those in vehicles without. Moreover, it was found that seatbelt wearing rates were higher for audiovisual SBRs as compared to SBRs with a visual-only reminder. The results of the survey also indicate that the SBR with audio and visual reminders would help to alert the respondents better to wear seatbelts as compared to the SBR with visual reminder only. About 80.8% of the respondents agreed that the SBR system is an important car safety feature. Moreover, most of the respondents in the survey agreed that the SBR system would help to remind them to wear seatbelts.
Findings from this study are very important especially to the government to introduce SBRs as the mandatory safety feature in passenger vehicles. In addition, the results could encourage more car manufacturers to equip their cars with the SBR system. It is hoped through the standard fitment of this technology in Malaysian passenger vehicles, seatbelt wearing among Malaysian would positively increase. Moreover, the findings from the case study strongly justify the inclusion of SBRs into ASEAN NCAP rating. One of the recommendations highlighted is to enhance ASEAN NCAP rating scheme by including the SBR as compulsory 4-star and 5-star prerequisites for front passenger seats and rear passenger seats (second row and beyond), respectively.
This report highlights several important findings of a study on the braking performance of common... more This report highlights several important findings of a study on the braking performance of commonly used low engine capacity motorcycles in Malaysia. This study measured and compared braking distance and G-force value (peak) during braking test of 6 distinct underbone motorcycles of 100-150cc in simulated emergency situation based on different test conditions namely type of brake system (disc and drum), method of braking operation (front and rear brakes) and test load (rider only and rider with pillion). A total of 48 runs (24 test conditions) of the actual braking test were performed at the test site (closed course). The study reveals the type of braking system and method of braking operation significantly influenced braking distance and G-force value. However, it was found that test load was not significant. Furthermore, both front and rear brake activation provided better braking performance as compared to single activation (rear brake only). The shortest braking distance and highest deceleration rate were 12.48 meters and 8.52 m/s2. While the lowest G-force value (peak) recorded throughout the actual braking test was 0.39. It is to be noted that this study is unique on its own due to certain limitations though some of the methods were adopted from the established international braking test standards. Even though this study is considered fundamental, the findings could provide vital information on the braking performance of underbone motorcycles especially to the motorcycle manufacturers and OEMs, as well as to the relevant authorities (driving institutes and Road Transport Department). Since advanced braking system such as Antilock Braking System (ABS) and ESC (Electronic Stability Control) have proven effective for passenger vehicles, a study is required to explore their effectiveness for this type of motorcycles in the future.
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Conference Proceedings by Aqbal Ariffin
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.
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.
rating scheme. In order for any assessed car to be eligible for the maximum 5-star rating, it should first be equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and fitted with seatbelt reminder (SBR). However, since these SATs are not being evaluated in their performance by the means of field testing, this paper explains the benefit of having these SATs through Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) which help to rationalize the importance of SATs in preventing road accidents or mitigating severity of injuries. Due to data limitation, this preliminary CBA assessment will only be focusing on Malaysia‟s situation and is based on published sources and the authors‟ best estimates. This study also includes the Cost-Benefit Analysis on Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), which is the basis for ESC technology, in preparation for its inclusion in the future rating scheme to expedite the vision of making ABS as standard fit in all ASEAN‟s passenger cars. The preliminary result shows that all technologies – ESC, SBR and ABS – appear to be cost-effective (benefit/cost-ratio > 3) or most likely cost effective (1 < benefit/cost-ratio < 3) in Malaysia‟s road safety situation per se.
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.
Papers by Aqbal Ariffin
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.
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.
rating scheme. In order for any assessed car to be eligible for the maximum 5-star rating, it should first be equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and fitted with seatbelt reminder (SBR). However, since these SATs are not being evaluated in their performance by the means of field testing, this paper explains the benefit of having these SATs through Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) which help to rationalize the importance of SATs in preventing road accidents or mitigating severity of injuries. Due to data limitation, this preliminary CBA assessment will only be focusing on Malaysia‟s situation and is based on published sources and the authors‟ best estimates. This study also includes the Cost-Benefit Analysis on Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), which is the basis for ESC technology, in preparation for its inclusion in the future rating scheme to expedite the vision of making ABS as standard fit in all ASEAN‟s passenger cars. The preliminary result shows that all technologies – ESC, SBR and ABS – appear to be cost-effective (benefit/cost-ratio > 3) or most likely cost effective (1 < benefit/cost-ratio < 3) in Malaysia‟s road safety situation per se.
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.
rates of frontal occupants in vehicles equipped with SBRs of two different types of reminders (visual-only and audiovisual) was also compared and studied. In addition, knowledge and practice on SBR, as well as perception, believe usefulness and acceptance towards both seatbelt and SBR system were also studied. Two methods were used in these studies which are roadside observation and survey.
Results of the roadside observation revealed that drivers recorded the higher percentage of total seatbelt wearing rate with 85.3% as compared to front passengers with 71.5%. The study also showed remarkable findings where drivers in vehicles fitted with SBRs were two times more likely to wear a seatbelt than those in vehicles without. Moreover, it was found that seatbelt wearing rates were higher for audiovisual SBRs as compared to SBRs with a visual-only reminder. The results of the survey also indicate that the SBR with audio and visual reminders would help to
alert the respondents better to wear seatbelts as compared to the SBR with visual reminder only. About 80.8% of the respondents agreed that the SBR system is an important car safety feature. Moreover, most of the respondents in the survey agreed that the SBR system would help to remind them to wear seatbelts.
Findings from this study are very important especially to the government to introduce SBRs as the mandatory safety feature in passenger vehicles. In addition, the results could encourage more car manufacturers to equip their cars with the SBR system. It is hoped through the standard fitment of this technology in Malaysian passenger vehicles, seatbelt wearing among Malaysian would positively increase.
Moreover, the findings from the case study strongly justify the inclusion of SBRs into ASEAN NCAP rating. One of the recommendations highlighted is to enhance ASEAN NCAP rating scheme by including the SBR as compulsory 4-star and 5-star prerequisites for front passenger seats and rear passenger seats (second row and beyond), respectively.
adopted from the established international braking test standards. Even though this study is considered fundamental, the findings could provide vital information on the braking performance of underbone motorcycles especially to the motorcycle manufacturers and OEMs, as well as to the relevant authorities (driving institutes and Road Transport Department). Since advanced braking system such as Antilock Braking System (ABS) and ESC (Electronic Stability Control) have proven effective for passenger vehicles, a study is required to explore their effectiveness for this type of motorcycles in the future.