SIM - Safety In Motion
Overview
Background & policy context:
Over 6 000 fatalities on European roads in 2001 were related to powered two-wheelers (PTWs), representing 15% of road victims. The European Commission (EC) launched the 3rd European Road Safety Action Plan with the ambitious goal of reducing the fatalities by 50% in 2010.
The medium term objective was to cut the number of persons killed or severely injured by around 75% by 2025, while the long term vision is to render road transport as safe as all other modes. To this goal, the motorcycle industry could play a role in improving the safety features of its products, while keeping their characteristics of versatility. R&D activities were carried out in the project, addressed to in-depth studies of a suitable safety strategy for PTWs in order to avoid road accidents and/or mitigate their consequences.
Motorcycle safety is a complex concept involving several aspects (preventative, active and passive safety) and several factors (mechanical, human and infrastructural). It was expected that an integrated approach to safety issues will help to describe each different area in which improvement is possible. This approach is believed to be an efficient way to reach the ambitious goal fixed by EC Roadmap for 2010. This integrated approach would establish a matrix relationship between the three main factors (or pillars) for safety (motorbike, motorcyclist and infrastructure) and the different aspects related to accident dynamics, from before-precipitating event to crash event, dealing with preventive, active and passive safety.
SIM focuses on the vehicle safety aspects, including the human-machine-interaction covering preventive, active and passive elements. But the most relevant element in SIM is the ambitious objective of developing a comprehensive safety strategy for motorcycles, structuring co-operation with existing research projects in order to cover adequately all the different fields of application.
Objectives:
The goal of SIM was to develop an innovative vehicle with new active, preventive and passive safety devices that will result in decreasing the number of powered two-wheeler (PTW) accidents and related consequences for PTW riders (injuries and deaths).
In this context, main objectives of SIM were:
- to identify a suitable safety strategy for PTWs;
- to enhance preventive and active safety acting on electronic vehicle management and improving Human-Machine-Interaction (HMI);
- to focus on integral passive safety devices;
- to integrate all aspects in a prototype (prototypes of devices fitted on a concept vehicle).
Methodology:
The main technical activities in SIM were:
- safety Strategy: to identify main parameters affecting PTW accident dynamics in main accident scenarios and establish a 'safety strategy' for motorcyclists and linking with other R&D projects about road safety;
- PTW Active Safety: to focus on an improved motorbike concept design in order to enhance the motorcyclist's safety through the improvement of active safety devices (suspensions, brakes, traction control). Further, preventive safety will be considered in terms of HMI and improved comfort;
- PTW Passive Safety: to develop effective passive safety systems for motorcycles that act in case of accident, mitigating the consequences of the crash event;
- integral Safety Solution: to demonstrate the feasibility of integrated safety concepts applied on motorcycle through definition of test bed. Technical tests will be run and evaluation of cost/benefit ratio in terms of potential reduction in accidents and mitigation of consequences will be performed.
In addition, there was a dissemination and exploitation action, aimed at organising and harmonising spreading information and results generated with regard to integrated safety on motorcycles; evaluating guidelines for standardisation activities and market acceptance of the innovative devices analysed and implemented during the project.
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