What Makes a Car Safe?

Vehicle safety has experienced a paradigm shift in the last 10 years, from vehicles that protect occupants in a crash to those that help to prevent accidents in the first place. Benefiting from nearly a century of research and development, today's automobiles are safer than any in the past.

Construction

Modern vehicles are designed to crumple in certain areas ("crumple zones") to absorb the force of an impact and use steel reinforcements to create a "cocoon of safety" around the passenger compartment.

Airbags

Manufacturers figured out some time ago that airbags can do more harm than good. New airbag designs deploy in stages, have less impact force and employ expansion chemicals that do not burn skin on contact.

Seat Belts

Some manufacturers now use seat belts with "smart-tensioners" that work with the vehicle's outside sensor array to tighten to the proper tension moments before impact.

Force Channeling

A properly designed crash structure will route the force of impact around the passenger compartment and into adjoining sheet metal.

ESP

New electronic controls work with the vehicle's anti-lock braking sensors to detect wheel spin and instability, and will automatically reduce throttle and apply the brakes it instability is detected.

References

• Car-safety.org: FAQ
• Smartusa.com: Safety FAQ
• Edmunds: The Evolution of Airbags

Resources

• Crumple Zones in Action (Video)