Added: 12/18/2005 |
Don't Join The Crash Test Dummies FraternityToday its possible to check for a car crash test in respect to specific models in order to discover what group insurance companies will rate the vehicle. Car safety is of paramount importance to all of us, but especially to the government and motor manufacturers.
Governments around the world discovered back in the 1960s that the death rate from motor accidents was appalling, and began setting up legislation that ensured car manufacturers took notice and began to ensure that the safety features on their vehicles were effective. Crash test dummies was an idea conceived from the tests originally developed with fighter pilot ejector seat tests.
This land transport derivative was so successful, that it was able to mimic people very precisely in the artificial traffic accident environments that the manufacturers realized - the only way to keep ahead of legislation, and stay in business, was to develop the crash test dummies technique further more. The car crash test is now well established with motor manufacturers though it is a very costly business, because for a motor manufacturer to develop a new vehicle they have to crash several dozen in car crash test simulations before their new product can enter a sales showroom. This is the only way in which motor manufacturers can be confident that their product is as roadworthy as it needs to be, and that it meets the stringent legislation prescribed by the government.
Today crash test dummies are well supported by computer simulation programmes able to monitor the irregular, jarring movements that crash test dummies experience, and thereby evaluate where the heaviest impact and injuries occur. This process has made motor manufacturers design the cabins of their cars with a focus on the survival of its occupants rather than simply as an attractive design study.
Padded dashboards, collapsible steering wheels are all part of the long term development of car safety that began to take momentum more than forty years ago. Air bags are one of the most recent additions to car safety and has received a mixed reception both from the public and government, even though its effectiveness to save lives has been proven damatically often.
The air bag is a last resort type safety feature that automatically functions when the vehicle strikes another object so hard that it triggers the air bag sensors. Crash test dummies have repeatedly shown the effectiveness of airbags by preventing vehicle occupants from smashing their heads against anything harder than the airbag. It's therefore little wonder that car safety conscious manufacturers today supply many of their vehicles equipped with at least a driver's airbag.
Possibly the most memorable development and one again from the simulator flight tests relating to fighter pilot ejector seats, was the legal requirement for all vehicles to be equipped with seat belts. In the United Kingdom as in many other parts of the world, the insurance companies will void insurance cover if it can be proved that the vehicle occupants were not wearing their seat belts. Crash test dummies have shown that injuries are reduced with the vehicle occupants wearing seat belts compared to those who do not.
With car safety features today rivalled only by economy in today's motoring environment, it can be of no surprise that the insurance companies demand people do as much as possible to avoid a serious injury, and comply with best practice as stated within the latest legislation.
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