USCAR Jump-Starts Effort to Standardize Side Impact Dummies
2 December 1998
USCAR Jump-Starts Effort to Standardize Side Impact Dummies WorldwideSOUTHFIELD, Mich., Dec. 1 -- The United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) has initiated an effort to standardize worldwide side impact crash test dummies by making a formal proposal to the International Organization of Standardization. This prototype WorldSID, as it's being called, will be jointly developed by the Americas, Europe and the Asia/Pacific region, and will replace the four different dummies currently used worldwide. "Since individuals around the world are basically the same, having different dummies in different markets is not logical," said Risa Scherer, the tri-chairperson representing North, Central and South America in the worldwide task group. She also is a member of USCAR's Occupant Safety Research Partnership (OSRP), which domestically studies crash test dummies and advanced restraint systems. "Tests were being duplicated which led to a need for additional resources, higher costs to consumers, limited consumer choices for vehicles and no corresponding safety benefits," Scherer continued. The other two task group chairpeople, along with Scherer, are Takahiko Uchimura for the Asia/Pacific region and Dominique Cesari for the European region. The task group contains four technical representatives per region and one governmental representative per country. Each region will fund one-third of the total dummy design cost. The target completion date for a prototype dummy is January 3, 2000, and the project's goal is to create a dummy that would be used in a globally- harmonized side impact crash test standard in worldwide regulations. This would mean that no matter where in the world a car is built and safety tested, it could be sold anywhere on the globe since every country would have identical safety standards. "It's possible that the best parts of each of the four dummies could be adopted for use on the WorldSID," said Guy Nusholtz, chairman of USCAR's safety partnership. "Under the WorldSID project, we're evaluating current dummies and working together to design, develop, fabricate and test a dummy with a good-to-excellent biofidelity rating that will further improve side impact crash tests worldwide." In an effort to ensure the success of this program, the task group selected Marc Beusenberg of Biokinetics in Ottawa, Ont., as the WorldSID program manager. He is accountable to the WorldSID task group and executes the decisions and directions of the task group, prepares development plans and alternatives and handles day-to-day operations. International Harmonized Research Activities (IHRA) also will participate by contributing to WorldSID dummy specifications and taking part in evaluating the dummy. IHRA is a group of governmental agencies worldwide that conducts joint research. It is hoped that the results of this research will lead to a harmonized side impact safety standard. "A fully-harmonized side impact standard would include the same injury criteria requirements around the world, measured using the WorldSID dummy in a test procedure developed by IHRA," said Tom Terry, a member of USCAR's safety partnership management committee. "Once the dummy is fully developed, we will be in a position to formulate a harmonized side impact standard." USCAR was formed in 1992 by Chrysler, Ford and GM to further strengthen the technology base of the domestic auto industry through a variety of cooperative, pre-competitive research. For more information on the WorldSID project, please visit http://www.worldsid.org or http://www.uscar.org on the Internet.