Feedback approach for determining parameters of vehicle safety regulation on pedestrian protection: South Korean case study

Abstract

In recent years, significant efforts have been made around the world to establish an internationally agreed-upon vehicle safety regulation that will reduce pedestrian casualties in pedestrian-vehicle collisions. One of the key issues in putting together the regulation is how to select effectively the parameter values that will be associated with it. This study develops an integrated feedback-based decision-making procedure for determining parameter values of the vehicle safety regulation. The regulation aims to protect pedestrian heads in pedestrian-vehicle collisions. Detailed data analyses from both actual accidents and simulations were conducted to derive parameters that result in technically and economically feasible regulation. A set of parameters representing the characteristics of pedestrian accidents and vehicles in South Korea is presented as the outcome of this study. The major contribution of this study is in supporting the establishment of South Korean vehicle safety regulations that would lead to the development of advanced vehicular technologies to reduce the severity of pedestrian injuries.