GIDAS

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GIDAS (German In-Depth Accident Study) is a joint project of the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) and the Research Association for Automotive Technology eV (FAT) and was launched in 1999. The aim of the GIDAS project is the comprehensive documentation of traffic accidents with personal injuries in two survey areas in Germany.

Organizational form

GIDAS is a cooperation project between the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) and the Research Association for Automotive Technology eV (FAT). The GIDAS steering committee is composed of representatives from BASt, working group 3 from FAT eV and the researcher. The following companies are represented in the GIDAS steering committee : Ford , Volkswagen AG , Daimler AG , Opel , Porsche , Autoliv and TRW (companies) . The research participants are traffic accident research at the TU Dresden GmbH (VUFO) and the Hannover Medical School (MHH).

History of German in-depth research

As early as the 1970s, the first so-called “In-Depth Investigation Teams” were put together on the initiative of automobile manufacturers in Germany . In 1973 the BASt established an independently working team at the MHH, which cooperated with the TU Berlin . In the course of Europeanization and globalization , the importance of in-depth surveys also increased internationally, and some countries now maintain similar survey teams. To optimize road and vehicle safety, a cooperation between the federal government and the automobile manufacturers was obvious, which was realized in 1999 with the joint project GIDAS. To this end, the survey area in Hanover was expanded and a second team was set up in the Dresden area . Since July 1, 1999, information on traffic accidents in two major German cities and their surroundings with different infrastructure, geography and topography has been collected.

Survey methodology

The traffic accidents are recorded using a random sampling procedure . Accidents that meet the following criteria are included in the survey:

  • Traffic accident with personal injury
  • The accident lies within the survey area
  • The accident occurred within the survey times

The accident documentation takes place daily during two six-hour shifts that change weekly:

Week 1: 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Week 2: 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m.

This makes it possible to record all time intervals throughout the year.

During the survey periods, all traffic accidents are continuously reported to the research teams by the police and rescue service centers as well as the fire brigade , from which accidents are then selected according to a specified random sampling procedure. A recording team consisting of two technicians, a doctor and a coordinator is available for each shift to record accident data. The recording team has two emergency vehicles with rotating beacons (RKL), special signals and radio at their disposal. If the deployment criteria are met, the trip to the scene of the accident can take place, thanks to a special permit, using the special signals according to §38 right of way. For documentation and site surveying different are cameras , measuring instruments and partly the MDE - Software UNIDATO used with special hardware for mobile data collection.

Survey areas

Hanover:

  • Radius around Hanover from 30 to 35 km
  • Hanover region
  • Population approx. 1.2 million, area approx. 2,289 km²
  • Mainly flat terrain in topography

Dresden:

Data volume

The surveys in both areas collect information on around 2,000 traffic accidents every year, which contain up to 3,000 items of information per accident. Both technical and medical accident data are collected.

These include:

  • Environmental conditions
  • Road design, traffic regulation , structural features
  • Vehicle deformations
  • Points of impact from occupants or other road users
  • Technical characteristics such as vehicle type and technical equipment
  • Crash information and characteristic values, etc. a. Collision and driving speed, Delta v and EES , deformation depths
  • Course of the accident and causes of the accident
  • Personal information such as weight, height, age, etc.
  • Injury Patterns, Preclinical and Clinical Care

Information that cannot be found directly at the scene of the accident is researched afterwards. The further treatment of the accident victims is documented with the help of discussions with doctors, nursing staff and the patient himself in the hospital . Every recorded traffic accident is reconstructed. The entire course of the accident is traced, starting with the initiation of the accident and the reaction of those involved, through to the collisions and the vehicles coming to a standstill. Characteristic quantities such as braking delays, run-in and collision speeds as well as changes in angle are determined. For this purpose, the reconstructor uses various calculation methods for hand reconstruction and simulation programs such as PC-Crash.

Use of the data

The collected data and reconstructed accident sequences are stored anonymously in a database and can thus be viewed by the project participants and analyzed in various ways. The legislature has the option of closely monitoring the accident and recognizing negative developments at an early stage. The detailed documentation of the accident, with detailed information on vehicle deformation and sources of injury for occupants and outside road users, is used to develop new legal bases and guidelines to increase road safety . The GIDAS data can also provide valuable assistance for road traffic engineering , such as setting up traffic signs and masts through to arranging protective systems in front of trees. For traffic planning, the data provide important information for optimizing road construction and traffic infrastructure. In addition to accident blackspots, the safety levels of various types of streets and intersections can be assessed.

The automotive industry uses the knowledge gained to make comparisons between real accidents and crash tests . The analyzes provide important information for optimizing the safety of vehicles and are the basis for future ideas and concepts in research and development in the automotive and supplier industries.

For the rescue service , the data provide important insights into the origin of injuries and the emergency diagnostics at the accident site, which can reveal opportunities for improvement in emergency treatment and in patient transport.

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