Auto Parts for Brains

I remember an old experiment we had in grade school where we were asked to drop an egg from the fourth floor of our school building.  The challenge was to drop the egg but to keep it from breaking.  Aside from the egg, we were given scotch tape, a square piece of plastic, some newspaper and a roll of strings.  I remember passing that experiment by making a parachute out of the plastic and putting the egg inside a newspaper casing that acted as a cushion for the landing.

That experiment was not only fun but a good learning experience as well for a little boy.  Aside from learning how to protect our egg from breaking, I think that was the earliest lesson I have had on designing for safety and function.

Safety is perhaps one of the most essential considerations when it comes to every activity we engage in.  It is an important factor in designing our homes, in planning our activities and in buying the things we need from the food we eat to the vehicles we drive.

Like the egg experiment we had long ago, the cars we see on our roads today pass thru an extensive crash test before going mainstream.  Though the auto parts that make up the car are also passed through an intense quality control test, the vehicle as a whole must be declared safe for driving.  With the use of dummies, the different car models are placed in accident and crash simulations to see how well their structures will stand and how well they can protect their passengers.

The Test

Low Speed Crash Test – This test is divided into four aspects, namely Full front, Full rear, front corner and rear corner.  The vehicle is made to collide with a bumper like barrier with energy absorbing element.  Raised at about 400 mm off the ground, the vehicles are made to collide with the barrier at 10 kph for full tests and 5 kph for corner tests. 

Full-width Frontal Impact Crash Test – In this test the vehicle is made to crash head-on towards a rigid concrete barrier at 35 mph.  Passenger safety is then measured by assessing damage to dummies placed on the driver’s and passenger’s seat.  Vehicle damage is not considered in this test.  The IIHS, in evaluating different vehicles have made a modification with this test called, Frontal Offset Crash test.  In this test only a portion of the front of the vehicle hits the barrier.  The side that crashes gets more impact than in a full width test and more intrusion in the passenger compartment results.  This is more demanding on vehicle structure than the passenger restraints.

Side Impact testing – Here a 3,015 lb trolley is made to crash at the side of the vehicle at 38 mph.

Rear Crash Head Restraint test – The following makes a good head restrain for any vehicle. It should be at least as high as the head’s center of gravity, or about 9 centimeters (3.5 inches) below the top of the head. The backset, or distance behind the head, should be as small as possible. This is particularly important in the prevention of whiplash injury during rear collisions.

Safest Vehicles

From the latest tests done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, this year’s safest cars are the following:

Large Car:  Audi A6

Midsized Cars: Audi A4, Saab 9-3 and Subaru Legacy

Minivans:  Hyundai Entourage, Kia Sedona

Midsized SUV’s:  Acura RDX, Ford Edge, Honda pilot, Lincoln MKX, Mercedes M class, Subaru B9 Tribeca, Volvo XC90

Small SUV’s:  Honda CR-V, Subaru Forrester

These vehicles have not only had good ratings for all three tests done by the Institute but also offer electronic stability control.  The crash tests done by the insurance institute is quite exhaustive for it measures not only safety for the passenger but damage costs as well.

I think that every person should be aware of how the cars we drive, ranks with regards to safety.  After all, we trust these vehicles with our life and we will get more than cracked eggs if we made mistakes.

picture by Flickr’s Auntie P