Test vehicle dimensions
Annex A records the dimensions of the test vehicle. They are measured, not taken from a brochure, and they include the features that touch the barrier.
Basis. Annex A is normative; the public guidance explains the measurement. The clause number and defined terms are the standard's; the explanation is our own.
Annex A is normative. It is the measurement sheet for the test vehicle. The control ids on this site are our record codes; the citation names the annex and the clauses that supply the facts.
What annex A-03 asks
This control covers the test vehicle dimensions. Clause 6.5.2 is titled Test vehicle dimensions and Annex A is the normative measurement sheet that records them. The dimensions that matter to the impact include the overall length, width and height, the wheelbase and track, the height of the front structure that meets the barrier, and the load bed or body geometry for the goods vehicle categories. The public preview does not list the individual dimensions in Annex A, so this record describes the control at the level the headings and the test method support and does not invent a measurement list.
Why it matters
Dimensions decide where the vehicle meets the barrier and how the force travels through the vehicle. A bumper height that is above or below the barrier's structural face changes the impact from a direct hit into a ride-over or an under-run. A wider vehicle may strike two bollards rather than one. A longer load bed changes the yaw and the penetration measurement. The buyer who compares a rating with a site needs the dimensions, because the threat vehicle at the site may not be the same shape as the test vehicle even when the mass is close.
What good looks like
Ask for the dimension sheet and the method used to measure. Compare the front structure height with the barrier face height. Compare the vehicle width with the barrier spacing. Where the site threat is a different body type, record the difference and do not assume the rating transfers.
Evidence an assessor asks for
The reviewer will ask whether the vehicle that was tested is the shape of the vehicle in the threat assessment. A mass match with a different body shape is not a match.
- Dimension sheet Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and the front structure height
- Measurement method The points measured and the equipment used, with the accuracy
- Body geometry The load bed or body shape for the goods vehicle categories
- Site comparison The test vehicle dimensions against the vehicles that approach the site
Where it commonly fails
- Dimensions are copied from a brochure instead of measured
- The front structure height is not recorded, so the contact with the barrier face cannot be checked
- A test with a flat-bed vehicle is used for a site with tipper vehicles
- The vehicle width is recorded but the barrier spacing is not compared with it
What to do before the amendment publishes
Add the dimension sheet to the vehicle log and compare the front structure height with the barrier face before relying on the rating.
Read across
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