Investigation of personal mobility devices (PMD) accidents I

• Main Author: Dheeraj Sharma S/O A K Jagdish Kumar
• Other Authors: Yap Fook Fah
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Engineering::Mechanical engineering
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168171
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The ability to carry a standing or seated rider is typical for Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs), which include electric bicycles (E-Bikes) and electric scooters (E-Scooters). The rise of E-Bikes and E-Scooter has introduced a new form of mobility to many cities worldwide, providing a convenient and affordable transportation option for short trips. Accidents involving E-bikes and E-Scooters often lead to serious injuries or even death. Scientific studies on PMD-pedestrian collisions have been lacking, especially for the effects on injuries of riders and pedestrians. One way to address these concerns is through the use of an accident reconstruction software, Virtual CRASH (vCRASH), which can assist in researching the injury's severity and its mechanism that is imposed on the rider and pedestrian during a collision. These simulations can be used to model different scenarios involving E-scooters, such as collisions with pedestrians or other vehicles, and control several factors, including pedestrian size, impact velocity, impact offset distance, and impact angles. The head throw distance and impact velocity of the rider or pedestrian are evaluated and a video simulation is used to determine the fall mechanics. The relation between the head impact velocity of the rider, pedestrian and the vehicle impact velocity has been proven by the results. Moreover, simulations have demonstrated how the fall mechanics vary depending on the situation. Overall, the use of vCRASH has helped to achieve the objective of this report and will be beneficial to the governing authorities for the use of PMDs.