Expert Witness Journal Issue 64 December 2025 - Flipbook - Page 73
Pedestrian Protection Through
Vehicle Design
by Adam Barrow
Historically, pedestrian safety has been one of the
most overlooked aspects of vehicle design. While
signi昀椀cant strides have been made in protecting
vehicle occupants through crashworthiness
innovations like seatbelts, airbags, and energy
absorbing structures, the same level of attention was
not initially extended to those outside the vehicle.
However, with the rise in urban populations and the
increasing number of vulnerable road users (VRUs),
pedestrian protection has become a critical focus in
automotive engineering and regulation.
A Brief History of Pedestrian Safety
Bridget Driscoll (circled), the 昀椀rst recorded pedestrian fatality,
hit by a car in Croydon - 1896
The 昀椀rst recorded road accident fatality occurred
in 1896, when Bridget Driscoll, a pedestrian, was
struck by a motor car in London. The coroner
expressed hope that such tragedies would not be
repeated. Unfortunately, it’s estimated that over
120,000 pedestrian deaths have occurred in the
UK since then. Early legislative e昀昀orts, such as the
Road Tra昀케c Act of 1930 and the introduction of
Zebra Crossings in 1949, aimed to provide basic
preventative measures for pedestrians. However,
these measures did not improve the protection
a昀昀orded to pedestrians when a collision did occur.
Understanding Pedestrian Impact
Dynamics
To design safer vehicles, engineers must 昀椀rst
understand how pedestrians interact with vehicles
during a collision. Pedestrian impacts typically
occur over a very short duration (less than 0.2
seconds), with the head often striking the bonnet
or windscreen within 0.1 seconds of initial contact.
The nature of the impact varies depending on the
vehicle’s front-end geometry and the pedestrian’s
posture and movement at the time of collision.
While there were examples of pedestrian focused
design in vehicles, it wasn’t until testing was
introduced in the late 20th century that pedestrian
safety began to be integrated into the wider vehicle
昀氀eet. The launch of EuroNCAP in 1997 marked a
turning point, introducing consumer-focused crash
testing that included pedestrian impact assessments.
This was followed by regulatory milestones such
as the EC Directive 2003/102 and the Pedestrian
Safety Regulation No. 78/2009, which mandated
pedestrian safety performance from the front-end
design of vehicles.
EXPERT WITNESS JOURNAL
Common impact scenarios include;
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Wrap-forward projections, where the pedestrian
wraps around the bonnet and is then thrown
forwards
High-fronted projections, often seen with SUVs
and trucks, where the pedestrian is launched
forward and lands some distance in front of the
vehicle
Glancing collisions, which can result in the
pedestrian being spun or thrown sideways
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2025-2026
