Single-Vehicle Rollovers Involving an Initial Off-Roadway Excursion Followed by a Return to Roadway: A NASS Study and Vehicle Response Measurement

摘要

This paper describes an investigation that seeks to understand how rollovers occur in real-world crashes, both by studying real-world crashes and by analyzing vehicle-handling tests to gain insights into potential mechanisms of pre-crash loss of control. In particular, this study focuses on one type of rollover, namely single-vehicle rollovers that follow a pattern of the vehicle first leaving the roadway and then returning to the roadway typically out-of-control. Aims of this study included the following: -^sTo describe the frequency and characteristics of single-vehicle rollovers involving an off-roadway excursion followed by a complete, if only temporary return to the roadway. -^sTo the extent possible, given available data, to assess the nature and consequences of driver inputs during the crash sequence. -^sTo define characteristics of crash scenarios which include a substantial proportion of this subset of single-vehicle rollovers.