Crash Testing

Automobile manufacturers around the world have devoted R&D teams to work on better and more safer vehicles to put on the roads to ensure customer safety.Companies spend tons of capital into the testing of their cars.There are several standard testing facilities which provide proper infrastructure and equipment for the tests to be conducted, one of the most noted and globally accepted testing center being the Global NCAP.

So How does it Work....?

In the test facility they replicate the kind of accidents that one might have on the road. An artificial real life scenario is created in which an automobile is collided against another automobile/an obstruction . Crash Test dummies are used to find out what effects the collision would have on the driver and the passengers inside the car and in some cases also the people who might be outside the car.In short this is a full proof system to find out the car's safety.

                   Automobile manufacturers from around the world send their new production line cars to the Test Facility to be tested according to the NCAP standards.After the tests are conducted NCAP gives each car a safety rating in stars (max of 5)  based on its performance.Automobile manufacturers look to achieve the highest possible ratings to make it more marketable ,as in developed countries the safety rating is an important yardstick in the sale of a particular variant of a car ..

What kind of tests are conducted...?

Mostly three types of tests are conducted ,among many others ,for accidents that are of  the most common types that one might encounter on the road.The speeds that the test are conducted are generally 40 kmph and 64 kmph (most common driving speeds).
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• Frontal Impact (Small Overlap Crash Test) : In this type of testing the automobile is collided against a barrier(which resembles another car) with a 60:40 bias towards the driver's side.

• Side Impact Test : In the side impact testing the car is collided against a barrier to replicate a side impact by a vehicle. 

• Rear Impact Test : Rear impact testing is done to ensure safety of the car in the case of a rear end collision.

Other tests include the pole impact test, the incline test,etc.

Do these tests ensure absolute safety of the car...?

Yes, cars which have a high safety rating are less prone to high accident damage and hence when buying a car we should always look at the Safety Ratings of the car.Here is an example of a car with a poor rating and one with a good one.

The  Actual Test :

Well, before the test actually begins, there is an elaborate process of preparing the car for the test.

• There are several sensors that are fitted to the car  to record impact data during the test.
• The fuel tank of the car is emptied and the battery acid is also removed.
• Pre crash measurements are made which are correlated to the measurements that are obtained after the tests.
• Then the Crash Test Dummies are prepped for the testing to begin.

Crash Test Dummies:

Real humans cannot be used in these tests so the next best things are the crash test dummies.These are figures having identical height and weight characteristics of an average person , moreover they react to accidents also in the same we as we would do .The dummies have several sensors fitted on to different parts of their body to acquire data .

The dummies are generally very expensive but they can be reused and their parts can be changed in case of damage.The dummies are given a special color coded coating in special parts of the faces like the fore head , the nose, the ankles,knees ,etc.these colors help in visual determination of the point of impact of the car to the dummy.

How are the tests conducted...?

The test facility consists of a long hall where the tests are conducted. The cars start at one end of the hall, the cars are not driven during the time of the test but are hurled by hydraulic  Motors coupled to a mechanism attached to the car.

Generally a  4.30 min count down is given before the test ....as the car begins its motion it is pulled with a force of almost .225 Gs until i reaches a speed of 40 k mph.The car travels a total of 538 feet before it comes to a halt 1-2 seconds after the collision.Cameras record the car's movement at every angle .The data acquisition system records a total of more than 50 gigabytes of data in the 20 odd second crash test life , the results of these data give us the safety rating of the car.

This video shows a proper Crash Testing procedure of a Hyundai Santa Fe at The Euro NCAP facility.

So which type of cars do actually pass the test..?

Those cars which provide proper safety to the driver and the passenger during the accident make the cut.

The car needs to be structurally sound, it needs to maintain its structural integrity even after the collision.Some cars are even designed to disintegrate thus absorbing most of the impact energy and providing better safety for the people on board.

Cars like the BMW 1 series (5 door) have done really well in the tests and have received a 5 star rating.

 The proof of the pie is in the 'Testing' ...

So what happened when some of the cars (in small car section) that we see on our roads here in India were tested...?

Firstly we need to remember that only the cars that are in production here in India and for India were included in the tests.the test cars were the base variants of each make...and need less to say none of them had air bags.

• Tata Nano :The Tata nano ( for India model ) could not get ratings in the Safety Feature, the lack of air bags being its greatest drawback.

• Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 : The alto 800 Failed to make a mark in the test and was not given recognition in the Star Rating.

• Hyundai  i-10 : The i10 came out with disappointing results with no stars in the Safety Rating. 

• Ford Figo :This Ford make did not pass the test along with all the others but one of the positives about the design of the Figo was seen that after the crash it maintained its structural integrity unlike the alto 800 or the Nano.

• Volkswagon Polo : The Volkswagon Polo turned out to be the safer car among the ones tested...but due to the lack of air bags in the base variant available here in India it did not do well in the test.

But as the car manufacturers were contacted all of them came out positively towards the test results and said that their main objective would always be to manufacture better and more safer cars for its customers,but standing out the Volkswagon India people said that they are looking forward to the test with a variant that includes air bags and are hoping to get better results and they added that their future production cars would include the air bags thus ensuring better safety.

What should be the benchmark..?

Makes like BMW,Mercedes, Bentley and others regularly manufacture cars which have an average of 4 to 5 stars .

How has this kind of testing helped...?

Well from the time of the Ford Model T we have come a long way...today's cards are more robust and structurally more sound and rigid thus overall providing better safety for the ones on board.

Here's a look at the Crash testing of cars from the 60 s to the 90 s.

And here's one from the current era....You decide for yourself which one you want to be in....

Safe Driving.....!!!