自动驾驶车辆的设计和座位配置明显不同于传统车辆，因此我们必须制定专门针对自动驾驶汽车的准确可靠的碰撞测试。对此，我们还有大量工作要做。

美国国家公路交通安全管理局（NHTSA）计划将在日后更新其《新车评价规程》（NCAP），并出台新的碰撞测试方案，这对于消费者和出行安全系统行业而言，无疑是好消息。修订后的NCAP规程很可能将加强乘客安全测试及自适应巡航控制、自动刹车等主动安全测试。

这也有利于自动驾驶汽车开发者。研究显示，美国消费者现在对自动驾驶汽车依然存在抵制心理，这样的测试可以赢得公众对自动驾驶汽车安全性的信任，继而使其逐渐接受自动驾驶汽车，拉动消费需求，为一个更安全的移动出行的未来铺平道路。

虽然将主动安全纳入测试规程确实是树立了一个重要的先例，但这也只是冰山一角而已。令人惋惜的是，实践表明，自动驾驶汽车也会发生碰撞事故。自动驾驶车辆的设计和座位配置明显不同于传统车辆，因此我们必须制定专门针对自动驾驶汽车的准确可靠的碰撞测试。对此，我们还有大量工作要做。尽管还要过上数年，这些设计才会出现在主流车型上，但我们必须现在就开始着手规范相应测试。

乘客位置的难题

斜躺的座椅是首当其冲的一个重大设计变更，对此必须制定全新的乘客碰撞测试。未来，在自动驾驶车辆上，因为无需再注意路况，我们会更倾向于斜躺在座椅上休息，看电影甚至睡觉。哪怕是对座椅后背的角度做极其细微的调整，都会对乘客在发生碰撞时的安全产生重大影响。

假设一名乘客靠在倾斜角度为23°的座椅上，如果他把座椅调到33°或43°，看上去似乎和23°没有太大的区别。但是如果发生碰撞，靠在23°、33°或43°的座椅上，该名乘客受伤的概率和严重程度会依次显著上升。虽然现在的仿真测试假人（ATD）可以收集更多的传感器数据，但是它们并不适用于自动驾驶汽车的座椅设计。

新的座椅布局还带来了另外一个挑战。我们都在概念车型上见过自动驾驶车辆的全新座椅布局。因为不再需要人类驾驶员，也不需要人类注意路况，乘客可以像在火车里一样面对面坐着。可旋转的座椅是另外一项全新设计，乘客可以自行变换方向，以心仪的角度欣赏车外的风景。

虽然这些新的布局足以唤起人们对未来自驾出行的美好畅想和憧憬之情，但它们也迫使我们必须对碰撞测试方案进行大幅度修改。圆桌型或方桌型的座椅布局意味着，测试的重点将由以前的前向碰撞变为侧向或后向碰撞。因此，我们必须制定全新的碰撞测试规程，将这些重要场景包括进去。

当然，还有一些问题也亟待思考，比如新的安全带、安全气囊和座椅的研发问题。新的座椅布局将推动整个安全系统行业的变革。供应商需要重新设计产品，和整车企业合作修改约束，并开展测试，以确保车辆的耐撞性。

下一步是关键

移动出行行业需要汇集最优秀的人才和最具创意的想法，以建立和完善一套完整的针对自动驾驶车辆的碰撞测试。尽管我们现在还缺乏一些重要的工具——如尚处于设计阶段的适应性仿真试验假人，但我们必须尽早采纳新的NCAP测试方案。对于新测试，有许多目前就可以着手开展的工作，比如引入虚拟测试，在可靠的仿真环境中，测量乘客在不同场景下的碰撞事故中所受到的影响。

自动驾驶的安全问题也为公私合作提供了一个宝贵的契机，企业和政府应共同为改善测试群策群力。例如，政府在尸体碰撞测试上经验丰富，而企业在开发和实施物理和仿真测试上硕果累累，如果两者能相互结合，那么势必会大有裨益。

如果要孕育并拓展自动驾驶汽车市场，我们不能只依靠美国带领全球推动技术创新。为了实现自动驾驶汽车市场的蓬勃发展，我们有大量要做的工作，规范新的碰撞测试就是其中一个当务之急。此外还需建立配套的基础设施和道路，出台全国统一的自动驾驶汽车监管政策。

如果我们等到自动驾驶技术发展以后再来制定碰撞测试规程，那便是大错特错了。尽管离自动驾驶汽车称霸道路还有些时日，但是整车企业为了让自动驾驶汽车最终上路整车，已经树立了一个又一个雄心勃勃的目标。

如果现在忽视制定全新测试的必要性，将来定是亡羊补牢为时以晚，无数生命将陷于危险，顺便也将葬送全球自动驾驶汽车市场的合作机会。

There is much work to be done in creating accurate, reliable tests for occupant crashworthiness tailored to new AV designs and seating configurations. 

NHTSA’s plan to eventually update its New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) with new crash-test protocols is good news for both consumers and the mobility safety-systems industry. A revised NCAP will likely feature enhanced occupant safety testing as well as testing of active-safety features such as adaptive cruise control and automatic braking.

It’s also a positive step for autonomous vehicle (AV) developers. Studies show U.S. consumers are still resistant to the idea of self-driving cars, and such testing will provide the public with assurances that these vehicles are safe. This should serve to “warm up” consumers to the idea of a world with AVs, boosting demand and paving the way for an increasingly safer mobility future.

While the inclusion of testing procedures for active safety features would set an important precedent, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Unfortunately, AVs have proven that they are not immune to crashes. There is much work to be done, particularly when it comes to creating accurate, reliable tests for occupant crashworthiness tailored to new AV designs and seating configurations. And even though such designs may still be a few years away from mainstream consumer adoption, it would be a mistake to wait.

Occupant-position challenges

Reclining seats are one of the first significant design changes that will demand a new set of occupant crashworthiness tests. We will be more apt to recline the seat in an AV because we won’t have to pay attention to the road; we may be watching a movie or even taking a nap. Even the slightest changes in backrest angle can have a significant impact on occupant susceptibility to injury in the event of a crash.

Let’s say an occupant is sitting in a car seat that has its backrest position set at 23 degrees. Reclining the seat to 33 or 43 degrees is not an extreme difference, yet the rate and severity of injury could increase significantly under each of these circumstances. While current anthropomorphic test dummies (ATDs) gather more sensor data than ever before, they are not designed for these new seating conditions.

New seating positions present another challenge. We’ve all seen the new seating layouts for AVs presented in concept cars. Passengers can sit facing one another, as in a railcar, because no one will need to drive or focus attention on the road. Rotatable seats are another new feature, allowing passengers to change their view and look at the surrounding scenery at any angle they prefer.

While seeing these new layouts may spark the imagination and excitement for future automotive travel, they too will require major crash-test protocol changes. Roundtable and quad seating positions mean that what was once a frontal crash is now essentially a side or rear crash. Entirely new crash testing procedures need to be developed to address these likely impact scenarios.

Of course, there are additional questions to ponder, such as the development of new seatbelts, airbags and seats. New seating positions will send a ripple effect of needed changes throughout the safety systems community. Suppliers will need to reconfigure their products and collaborate with vehicle OEMs to modify restraints and conduct tests to ensure vehicle crashworthiness.

Next steps are vital 

The mobility industry needs to bring the best and the brightest together to develop and refine new tests that would assess occupant crashworthiness of AVs in a comprehensive manner. While it’s true that there are some vital pieces of equipment that we may not yet have at our disposal—such as adaptable ATDs that are currently in the design phase—we should resist the temptation to delay the introduction of new NCAP testing protocols. There is much we can do immediately in this area. Virtual testing, for example, can be used now to provide a reliable simulation of occupant impact during a crash under various conditions.

AV safety also represents a prime opportunity for private industry and government to work together, bringing together their collective expertise in various aspects of testing. For example, there is value in combining the government’s experience in crashtesting cadavers with private industry’s strength in developing and executing physical and simulated tests.

When it comes to building and nurturing a thriving AV market, we can’t rest on the fact that the U.S. leads the way in AV innovation. Addressing occupant crashworthiness is just as important to promoting a thriving AV market as are other widely publicized priorities, including ensuring infrastructure and road readiness, and establishing consistent nationwide policies governing AVs.

It would be a significant mistake to wait for further development of AV technologies before tackling the issue of testing for occupant crashworthiness. While a world where driverless cars rule the road is still many years off, automotive OEMs are continuing to set ambitious goals for the roll-out of these vehicles on to our roads.

If we ignore the need for specialized tests, we risk finding ourselves in a never-ending game of catch-up that will put lives at risk and threaten our opportunity for global AV market leadership.

Author: Christopher O’Connor

Source: SAE Autonomous Vehicle Engineering