CRASH TEST

This paper presents the results of three tests of simulated collisions carried out on 6 different models of small car and also on the vw golf, germany's most popular car and a representative of the lower middle range of cars. The following tests were carried out on each car: (1) a 50% offset crash, where the left half of the vehicle front collided with a rigid barrier at speed 45 kph; (2) full collision of a movable barrier with the vehicle rear at speed 37 kph; (3) slow collision of a large steel ram against the passenger side door. The paper analyses the effects of the collisions on the front part of the car, the passenger compartment, the rear of the car, the steering wheel, the instrument panel, the foot area, the front seats, the safety belts, and the rear seats, for each of the cars; it includes extensive photographic illustrations of the results. Each car performed relatively satisfactorily and each had several good points but also some weak points; for each car, the table summarises performance quality for 3 parts of the car body and 10 parts of the passenger compartment. The vw golf performed better than the 6 small cars tested, but the authors attribute this to its better design and higher safety standard rather than to its larger size. Opel's procedure for computer simulation of crash tests is also mentioned. This paper was originally published in German in: adac motorwelt, no 11/88, 1988, P44-52.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)

  Wokingham, Berkshire  United Kingdom 
• Publication Date: 1988-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 14 p.
• Serial:
  • TRRL TRANSLATION
  • Publisher: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Anthropometry; Automobiles; Barriers (Roads); Crash tests; Crashes; Design; Dummies; Loss and damage; Safety; Translations
• ITRD Terms: 1618: Anthropometric dummy; 1243: Car; 1631: Collision; 1614: Damage; 9011: Design (overall design); 1648: Impact test (crash); 1649: Mobile barrier; 1665: Safety; 8538: Translation
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00498773
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Report/Paper Numbers: T 3472
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 30 1990 12:00AM