Safety and Crashworthiness Engineering Analysis of the Ambulance Manufacturing Division's (AMD) 2007 Ambulance Standards

Objective: To analyze safety engineering and crashworthiness validity of current AMD standards

Methods

AMD 2007 standards were analyzed by a multidisciplinary automotive safety engineering and EMS team, via application of basic engineering principles of crashworthiness, crashworthiness and injury mitigation literature, and crashworthiness testing data.

Results

There was no dynamic or impact crashworthiness testing required or mentioned to demonstrate safety performance. The testing was static testing only, with no acceleration, no inertial forces are described in the standard. Potential head strike zones were inaccurate, with known head strike zones specifically excluded. Seat belts or equipment lockdowns or brackets were not required to be anchored into crashworthy structural components. There was no demonstrated patient compartment structural crashworthiness. Claims that successful testing reduced “the possibility of injuries and fatalities” … “encountered in crashes or adverse forces that can result from a vehicle impact”, were not supported by any technical data, injury criteria or thresholds and were in conflict with accepted, existing established technical science. These standards were not consistent with accepted, established technical scientific approaches to vehicle safety, occupant protection or safety performance.

Conclusion

The development of the AMD design standards appears to be well outside of accepted automotive and crashworthiness safety technical data, practice and expertise. Use of this standard has potential liability risks for manufacturers, given apparent lack of awareness of accepted vehicle crashworthiness test procedures. These standards should be revised comprehensively to reflect current accepted automotive safety practice, given the current vehicle crashworthiness and occupant protection knowledge and published literature.