ASEAN NCAP crash tests : modifier assessment justified

Abstract

ASEAN New Car Assessment Program (ASEAN NCAP) is a newly established automobile safety rating program in the Southeast Asia region, which the primary objective is to provide consumers with vehicle safety information and concurrently acknowledge manufacturers' effort in elevating vehicle safety level. This information is comprehensively gathered through scientific and objective testing procedures in full scale crash test simulation. To ensure consistency and high repeatability, ASEAN NCAP operates standardized test and assessment protocols which utilize high-tech equipment and sensors, data acquisition system and also human surrogates (instrumented "dummies"). A point system is derived for marking purposes and a star rating scheme is designed to reflect the level of safety afforded to occupants. To cater for variation in crash configurations, occupants' sizes and kinematics as well as other potential risks during crash impacts, a point deduction system (penalty-based) named as "modifiers" were introduced. Hence, this work attempts to describe the modifiers, their basis and justifications for inclusion in the safety fating scheme. A few case studies are demonstrated in this paper to enhance the understandings of modifiers concept.