Thousands
of pedestrians die each year in road accidents, but so far few carmakers have
shown much interest in developing safety features to protect those outside the
car. Now Swedish auto company Volvo has produced the first external airbag --
and it could save lives.
Engineers
are well aware that humans and cars make for unequal adversaries when they
collide. The difference, says Thomas Broberg, is primarily a matter of their
construction: "Cars are hard and people are soft."
Now
Volvo is increasing pressure on the industry as a whole, and at the same time
taking the opportunity to improve its own image in an area where it is in
danger of losing ground. With its legendary Swedish-made, tank-like cars, the
Volvo brand has long been considered a frontrunner in safety engineering. These
days, though, nearly all car manufacturers make impact-resistant auto bodies.
Volvo,
the car company well known for the safety features on its vehicles is
introducing an integrated airbag into the bonnet of the 2013 model year V40
which goes into production in May with the aim of giving more protection to
pedestrians and cyclists in the event of a collision.
The
external airbag, which was developed at Volvo’s own R&D facility in Sweden,
inflates in less than a second and is most effective, according to Volvo, in
collisions where the car is travelling between 12mph and 31mph. The airbag is
deployed when sensors in the front bumper detect contact between the car and a
pedestrian or cyclist.
Upon
impact, the windscreen end of the bonnet is released and raised ten centimeters
- 4" - by the inflating airbag, which covers the area under the raised
bonnet as well as approximately one-third of the windscreen and the lower part
of the A-pillars that support the windscreen.
Of
course, pedestrians and cyclists are likely to have mixed feelings about this
development. While applauding it at one level, campaigners for pedestrian and
cycling safety are likely to lament the emphasis on passive safety while
governments ignore the elephant in the room; that the more drivers become
immunised from their responsibilities, the less likely they are to anticipate,
consider and pay attention in the way Highway Codes generally advise.
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