Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Period 3
Engineering 2
protection but they do not always prevent injury. Safety features found on seatbelts are
webbing clamps, pretensioners, load limiters, and seat belt warning systems. Airbags
are not substitutes for seat belts. When a properly worn seatbelt is combined with an
airbag, great protection during a frontal crash is provided. Head rests, when adjusted
correctly, can prevent whiplash in rear impact crashes. Sometimes owners modify their
vehicles to "enhance their appearance" or to accommodate someone with a disability to
make the vehicle more easily accessible. These types of modifications must follow a
specific set of rules and guidelines created by the Department of Transportation and
deemed safe enough to drive on the road.
A passive restraint is a safety device, like a crumple zone, padding inside of the
car, or special seat belt that is activated automatically to protect an automobile
passenger at the moment of impact when a collision occurs. Seat belts are meant to
hold the occupants bodies in place during the first seconds of a collision. Crumple
zones absorb the impact of the collision by allowing the outer tin parts of the engine bay,
trunk, doors, and the floor and ceiling, to reduce the force of impact and redirect it
around the passengers compartment. The padding inside the car, which is fire resistant,
is meant to prevent scuffs and injuries. An active restraint device is a safety device that
does not active on its own, like a pretentioner, an air bag, or active head restraints. A
pretentioner is a pyro technic mechanism that, upon impact, tightens the seatbelt,
therefor reducing slack. Air bags inflate upon collision to contain the upper body of the
passengers, and soften the blow. At the same time, air bags can be and have been,
very dangerous. Air bags in frontal systems are not designed for young children, or
small people who do not meet the safety requirements to be able to sit in the front seat
of a motor vehicle. Frontal air bag systems have proven to be dangerous and even fatal
for those who do not follow the rules. The final example of an active restraint device is
an active head restraint. These work like a pretentioner or air bag by pushing the head
restraint against your neck. They sometimes even recline the back of the seat all
together.
Crash safety and it's regulations are very important, and taken very seriously in
the the United States. Motor vehicles are given safety ratings by the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. These
ratings are determined by a series of five tests conducted to find a cars
crashworthiness. Crash safety is the ability of a motor vehicle to protect its driver and
passengers in the case of a collision. A car's rating is based on its performance in the
following: moderate overlap front, small overlap front, side, crash avoidance, and head
restraint. All crash tests, and the entire history of crash safety tests are recorded in a
database kept by the National Highway Traffic Safety. These records are open and
made accessible to the general public as they become available.
Works Cited
http://www.safercar.gov/
http://www.nhtsa.gov/Vehicle-Safety
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a4449/the-road-ahead-road-evolutionof-safety/
http://www.crashtest.org/history-car-safety/
http://amhistory.si.edu/onthemove/themes/story_86_1.html