SENIORS · Project

Crash-Test Tools That Protect Elderly and Overweight Road Users

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Crash-test dummies used by car makers are modeled on young, average-weight adults — but Europe's population is getting older and heavier. That means the safety features designed around those dummies don't work as well for grandparents or larger people. SENIORS built a new crash-test dummy that mimics an elderly, overweight body and created updated testing procedures so car makers and regulators can actually measure how well a vehicle protects these growing groups of road users.

By the numbers

17%

Europeans aged 65+ in 2012

28%

Projected Europeans aged 65+ by 2020

Consortium partners

Countries represented

80%

Industry partners in consortium

Total project deliverables

The business problem

What needed solving

Europe's population is aging fast — 17% were 65+ in 2012, rising to 28% by 2020 — yet vehicle safety systems are still designed and tested using crash-test dummies that represent younger, average-weight adults. This mismatch means cars on the road today may not adequately protect the fastest-growing demographic of drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.

The solution

What was built

The project built a validated elderly overweight crash-test dummy (D3.4a) and validated updates to pedestrian impactors (D3.4b), along with 25 total deliverables covering accident scenario analysis, injury mechanisms for older and obese road users, and updated test and assessment procedures aligned with UN-R94 frontal impact regulation updates.

Audience

Who needs this

Vehicle OEMs designing next-generation restraint systemsCrash-test laboratories and vehicle certification bodiesAutomotive Tier-1 suppliers of airbags and seatbelt systemsE-bike and micro-mobility manufacturersRoad safety regulators and standards bodies

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Automotive Manufacturing

enterprise

Target: Vehicle OEMs and Tier-1 safety system suppliers

If you are a vehicle manufacturer designing restraint systems — this project developed a validated elderly overweight crash-test dummy and updated pedestrian impactors that let you test how well your airbags, seatbelts, and pedestrian protection systems actually perform for older and heavier occupants. With 28% of Europeans projected to be 65+ by 2020, regulatory alignment on this demographic is inevitable.

Automotive Testing & Certification

mid-size

Target: Independent crash-test labs and vehicle homologation bodies

If you are a testing laboratory or certification body — this project produced validated test tools and assessment procedures specifically calibrated for elderly and obese body types. These tools feed directly into the UN-R94 frontal impact regulation updates being developed by the GRSP working group, giving you a head start on upcoming compliance requirements.

Urban Mobility & E-Bike Manufacturing

SME

Target: E-bike and micro-mobility vehicle makers

If you are an e-bike or micro-mobility manufacturer dealing with rising accident rates among older riders — this project studied elderly vulnerability across multiple transport modes and developed injury-risk models specific to older road users. The findings can help you design better protective features and meet emerging safety standards for vehicles increasingly used by seniors.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to adopt these new test tools?

The project does not publish pricing for the elderly overweight dummy or updated impactors. Costs would depend on licensing terms from the consortium, which includes Germany's Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) as coordinator. Comparable advanced crash-test dummies typically represent significant investment for testing facilities.

Can these test tools be used at industrial scale?

Yes. The deliverables explicitly include a 'validated' elderly overweight dummy and 'validated updates to pedestrian impactors for testing' — meaning they were built and proven ready for use in standard crash-test facilities. The consortium's 80% industry ratio (8 of 10 partners) confirms these were designed for real-world lab environments.

What is the IP and licensing situation?

The project was funded under Horizon 2020 as a Research and Innovation Action. IP is likely shared among the 10 consortium partners across 5 countries. Interested parties should contact the coordinator (BASt, Germany) to discuss licensing or access to the dummy specifications and test procedures.

How does this align with current regulations?

The project explicitly targets the GRSP International Working Group on Frontal Impact, which was updating UN Regulation 94 with near-term (2015) and mid-term (2020) milestones. The test tools and assessment procedures were designed to feed directly into these regulatory updates, making them highly relevant for compliance planning.

What was actually validated and delivered?

The project produced 25 deliverables in total. The key demo deliverable is the Validated Elderly Overweight Dummy (D3.4a) along with validated updates to pedestrian impactors (D3.4b). These are physical test tools ready for use in crash-test laboratories.

Is this only about car occupants or also pedestrians and cyclists?

Based on the project objective, SENIORS took an integrated approach covering elderly people in multiple transport modes — including as car occupants, pedestrians, and users of e-bikes. The updated pedestrian impactors (D3.4b) specifically address vulnerable road user protection outside the vehicle.

Consortium

Who built it

The SENIORS consortium is heavily industry-driven with 8 out of 10 partners (80%) from industry, complemented by 1 university and 1 research organization across 5 countries (Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, UK). The coordinator is Germany's Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt), one of Europe's most authoritative road safety bodies, which gives the results strong regulatory credibility. The presence of major automotive nations (Germany, Sweden, Italy, UK) and no SMEs signals this was designed for large-scale industry adoption rather than startup commercialization. For a business looking to access these results, the consortium structure suggests well-defined IP ownership and established channels for technology transfer.

BUNDESANSTALT FUER STRASSEN-UND VERKEHRSWESENCoordinator · DE
AUTOLIV DEVELOPMENT ABparticipant · SE
TRL LIMITEDparticipant · UK
LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAET MUENCHENparticipant · DE
FORD-WERKE GMBHparticipant · DE
IDIADA Fahrzeugtechnik GmbHthirdparty · DE
AUTOLIV SVERIGE ABthirdparty · SE
IDIADA AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY SAparticipant · ES
STELLANTIS EUROPE SPAparticipant · IT

How to reach the team

BUNDESANSTALT FUER STRASSEN-UND VERKEHRSWESEN (BASt), Germany — use Google AI search to find the project coordinator's contact details

Order a report on this consortium See BUNDESANSTALT FUER STRASSEN-UND VERKEHRSWESEN profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want access to the SENIORS test tools or assessment procedures? SciTransfer can connect you with the right consortium partner for your specific needs — from dummy specifications to regulatory guidance.

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