Don't Be a Dummy: Primer on Automotive Safety by an Engineering Expert Witness

By Arthur W. Hoffmann

Dont be a Dummy is a primer on automotive safety. It is Auto Safety 101. What every driver or passenger should know because it May Save Your Life; or a loved one.

The author uses personal experience and crash dummies to explain the consequences of not following the laws of Physics and not utilizing the safety features that are available to both drivers and passengers of automotive vehicles. The focus of this book is driver-responsibility and the need to educate the public about common hazards and vehicle misuse. Large car versus small car data analysis warns about vehicle incompatibility and the need for purchasers to consider the serious consequences of selecting a vehicle to buy based only on fuel economy and low cost. Federal safety standards are discussed and what the Five (5) Star Rating System really means.

The quest for fuel economy may risk your familys life or result in serious injury!

Fuel economy may be false economy!

The size and weight of your vehicle can mean life or death or serious injury!

Protect loved ones and save the children. Always use the proper child restraint!

Speed, Alcohol and Drugs are killers.

Dont be a Dummy!

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: May 26, 2009
• ISBN: 9781440135576

Arthur W. Hoffmann

Arthur W. Hoffmann, Ed.D,P.E., is a registered Professional engineer who eas engaged in the development of automotive safety design and standards since the early 1960's. Dr. hoffmann developed the first "child safety seat" for General Motors, which was marketed as the GM Love Seat. He is the CEO of TEAM Resources, Inc., founded in 1989. The author holds several U.S. automotive patents. Art and Carolyn reside in Traverse City, Michigan.

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Don’t be a Dummy

Primer on Automotive Safety by an Engineering Expert Witness

Arthur W. Hoffmann, Ed.D, P.E.

iUniverse, Inc.

New York Bloomington

Don’t be a Dummy

Primer on Automotive Safety by an Engineering Expert Witness

Copyright © 2009 by Arthur W. Hoffmann

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

ISBN: 978-1-4401-3556-9 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-1-4401-3557-6 (ebk)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2009926414

iUniverse rev. date: 5/15/2009

Contents

Dedication

Special Credits

Author Biography

Don’t be a Dummy

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

References

Glossary

Contact the Author

Dedication

In remembrance of my Mom and Dad, who raised a wonderful supportive family.

And:

To my son Stephen, who’s birth inspired and motivated me to design and develop the first Child Safety Seat; the GM Love Seat in 1967.

This dedication would not be complete without recognizing Carolyn, my wife, companion and friend for her support.

Special Credits

I wish to thank Lynn Morgan for his rendition of the crash dummy illustrations placed throughout this book. Lynn is a very gifted and creative artist and songwriter. His illustrations convey the book’s message of automotive safety and testing that lend realism to the seriousness of the topics that are discussed.

Lynn Morgan’s award winning art images are revered by collectors’, around the world, and his songs have touched the hearts of thousands of listening fans. For more information, visit: www.lynnmorgan.com

Author Biography

Arthur W. Hoffmann, Ed.D, P.E., is a Registered Professional Engineer who was engaged in the development of automotive safety design and standards since the early 1960’s. Dr. Hoffmann developed the industry’s first child safety seat for General Motors, which was marketed as the GM Love Seat. He is the President of Seat Consultants, LLC, an automotive safety group. The author holds several U.S. automotive patents. Art and Carolyn reside in Traverse City, Michigan.

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Don’t be a Dummy

Don’t be a Dummy

A Primer on Automotive Safety: By An Engineering Expert Witness

Prologue

Newsflash: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 @ 2:35 am EDT N.J. Gov.’s SUV Went 91 Mph Before Crash. "The sport utility vehicle carrying Gov. Jon S. Corzine was traveling about 91 mph moments before it crashed, the superintendent of state police said Tuesday. The governor was critically injured when the vehicle crashed into a guardrail on the Garden State Parkway just north of Atlantic City. He was not wearing his seat belt as he rode in the front passenger’s seat. The governor’s SUV was driven by a state trooper who violated the 65-mph posted speed limit. Corzine broke his left thigh bone, 11 ribs, collarbone and chest bone. He also fractured a vertebra in his lower back. He remained in critical but stable condition and doctors were assessing when he might be ready to breathe without a ventilator. The trooper and driver of the vehicle could be charged for the violations" (1).

Every day men, women and children are killed or injured in automobile accidents. Statistical reporting of this shameful data by the news media has become an annual event. Year to year statistics are compared and commentary follows. Always the magnitude of death and injuries remains about the same (about 40,000 fatalities). However, there are more vehicles on the road and more miles are being driven, seems to be the media mantra that progress is being made. Newer cars, technology, and more safety features are heralded as a promising future. This is all well and good, but what is not addressed is the enlightenment and education of the drivers and passengers who are the potential victims at risk. Few people are even aware of the hazards that are inherent in automotive transportation. To accomplish a significant reduction in automobile accidental deaths and injuries the public must become more knowledgeable and interested in the basic rudiments of motor vehicle safety; especially, the physical laws of nature that apply to objects-in-motion. The general public, and particularly drivers and vehicle occupants, need to understand the danger that is associated with increasing vehicle speed and the subsequent energy proliferation that higher speed produces. This phenomenon requires that the vehicle have the capability of absorbing and dissipating the higher energy levels in an effective manner. Speed, coupled with vehicle weight (mass), determines the acceleration and forces that will be present in an accidental collision. Speed and mass are the decisive factors that determine the likelihood of death or injury. About 40% of all fatal accidents occur on roads where the posted speed limit is 30 miles per hour or less. Three out of four (75%) accidents happen within 25 miles of home, at speeds of 45 mph or less. Therefore, the purpose of this book is to increase awareness and hopefully influence driver education and social behavior as it relates to automotive safety.

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Chapter 1

Introduction

A family that is dedicated to saving lives and minimizing personal injuries that occur as a result of automotive accidents inspired this book. Allow me to introduce, The First Family of Automotive Safety. We call them the Dummy Family. Automotive safety engineers use a variety of anthropometric dummies to simulate humans of various weights, ages and sexes. They represent what would be normal members of an average family; included are infants, toddlers, children, males and females of several equivalent sizes. There are even dummies that represent a pregnant woman. These test dummies are sophisticated physical/electronically instrumented test specimens that are used to simulate the responses of humans when subjected to the forces, accelerations and hazards present in automotive collisions. Safety engineers use high-speed cameras and data recorders of the crash test sequence to analyze the kinematics (motion) of the occupants to assess the amount of harm that the occupants may have experienced. This harm assessment is based on biomechanical human tolerance