Now on foot!
Until now, vehicle manufacturers have taken care of the safety of people behind the wheel of a car. Now they also have to deal with pedestrians who can get hurt.
Until now, car manufacturers have taken care of the safety of people behind the wheel of a car. Now they also have to deal with pedestrians who can be hit by a vehicle.
The aim of the new EU directives is to reduce the forces acting on the leg, hip and head of a bystander in a collision with the front of a car. From October 2005 Directive 2003/102/EC will be used as a precondition for evaluating new approval options. 
vehicles. From October 2010, it is planned to tighten the limit values and apply them not only in the process of designing new cars, but - until 2015 - in the modifications of models.
In addition to optimizing the shape of the body sheets, the development of new headlights and bumper lights is also necessary. There are already solutions that meet the increased requirements for overloading, for example, human lower legs. These are additional energy-absorbing elements at the height of the crossbars under the bumper. In the event of a pedestrian colliding with the vehicle, this additional cross member profile prevents it from colliding - it imparts torque to the pedestrian's body, causing it to lift and roll over the hood, instead of pulling it under the chassis and running over it.
In the event of a hip impact, partially standardized measures can no longer be cancelled. The greatest importance is attached to checking the latches on the hood and headlights. 
The mounting of the canopy and the design of its front part significantly affect the course and results of the collision. Here you can compare the lamp with a tennis racket: inside it is soft, but around it is hard. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the controlled movement space in terms of impact energy absorption.
Manufacturers of individual components are joining forces to adapt their products to the requirements of the new regulations. For example, in 2004, HBPO was founded, which included companies in the lighting industry - Hella, Behr and Plastic Omnium. It is planned to develop new impact-absorbing reflectors by changing the design of the hull and searchlight module. The energy must be purposefully absorbed by the headlamp and its surrounding components. An important role here is played by the method of attaching the reflector. The same applies to the bonnet latch - here the rigidity required by the vehicle manufacturer must be harmonized with the requirements of pedestrian protection.
By using collision modeling processes and dynamic material values, you can create recommendations for the behavior of elements during a collision even before one of them is manufactured.
Cars equipped with headlights and headlights that meet these requirements will be on the market in the next few years.
