NHTSA

Peer Review of Technical Paper, “The Role of Post Crash Headroom in Predicting Roof Contact Injuries”

NHTSA completed the study, “The Role of Post-Crash Headroom in Predicting Roof Contact Injuries to the Head, Neck, or Face During Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 216 Rollovers” in January 2004.  The stated purpose of FMVSS No. 216 is “to reduce deaths and injuries due to the crushing of the roof into the occupant compartment in rollover crashes” (49 CFR 571.216).  This project will influence a rulemaking (FMVSS No. 216, roof crush resistance) that will not exceed the $500 million threshold.

Highly influential scientific information

Influential scientific information

The Peer Review Plan includes the following elements:

(1) The peer review would occur during the second half of Fiscal Year 2005.

(2) The peer review will be conducted by individual letters. The review will be conducted under an Indefinite Quantity Contract (IQC) with Battelle Science & Technology International to be awarded June 15, 2005. The final peer review report from Battelle is expected to be completed by August 15, 2005.

(3) There will not be an opportunity for the public to comment on the work before it is peer reviewed.

(4) Public comments will not be available to the peer reviewers.

(5) There will be three peer reviewers.. 

(6) To achieve a balanced peer review, the contractor must select one engineer with expertise in automotive structures, one statistician with expertise in multivariate modeling of injury outcomes, and one crash investigation specialist. 

(7) Battelle will select three peer reviewers who shall be approved by the NHTSA COTR prior to beginning the review.  None of the reviewers will be Battelle employees.

(8) The public will not be asked to nominate peer reviewers.

Rory Austin

NHTSA

Office of Vehicle Safety Planning & Analysis

(NVS-011)

E-mail:

rory.austin@nhtsa.dot.gov

Phone:

(202)-493-2631