A study of the mass-frequency distribution of the registered light vehicle fleet in Queensland

Road safety barrier performance is a function of the mass of the impacting vehicle. However, knowledge of the mass-frequency distribution of the registered light vehicle fleet in Queensland is limited. A quantitative analysis of the mass of a proportion of the predominant body types comprising the light vehicle fleet is presented. While light vehicle mass appears to be increasing, the testing protocol for road safety barriers preferred by Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 3845.1:2015 (Standards Australia, 2015) is appropriate in terms of the mass of the test vehicle for both occupant severity and for barrier capacity.