VOLVO V40
The safest car in the world is the Volvo V40. Cars are crash-tested by… being crashed. All kinds of high-speed collisions are simulated in crashtest centres, and the damage to the car and fake occupants – crash-test dummies – is carefully measured. With two adult dummies in the front and two child-sized dummies in the back, the Volvo V40 was driven into a pile of crash blocks at 64 km/h. The front of the car was mashed up – but the ‘driver’ and ‘passengers’ were protected by crumple zones, airbags and seat belts. The computer analysis showed they had no signifi cant risk of injury.
The aim of making a car safe is to protect the people in it and, as far as possible, pedestrians on the road. Crash-test centres use dummies the same weight, size and shape as humans, and their body parts have the same weight distribution. They are fi tted with monitors and sensors to collect data about forces operating on them during the impact.
The safest car in the world is the Volvo V40. Cars are crash-tested by… being crashed. All kinds of high-speed collisions are simulated in crashtest centres, and the damage to the car and fake occupants – crash-test dummies – is carefully measured. With two adult dummies in the front and two child-sized dummies in the back, the Volvo V40 was driven into a pile of crash blocks at 64 km/h. The front of the car was mashed up – but the ‘driver’ and ‘passengers’ were protected by crumple zones, airbags and seat belts. The computer analysis showed they had no signifi cant risk of injury.
The car is marked up with stickers. Comparing the relative positions of the stickers before and after he crash shows how much the metal has distorted.
Airbags infl ate on impact to protect driver and passengers, including extra airbags at the sides of the car and near the driver’s legs. An external airbag protects any pedestrian struck by the car.
VOLVO V40
WHEN 2012
TOP SPEED 250 KM/H
ACCELERATION 0-100 KM/H IN
6.7 SECONDS
SIZE 4.37 M LONG
POWER 132 KW
ENGINE TURBO-CHARGED T4
1.6 litre PETROL
ENGINE (T4 MODEL)
D40 On Road
CAREFUL CAR
The Volvo V40 has some very special safety features. The pedestrian-detection system can spot a person stepping into the road and warn the driver. If the driver doesn’t respond, the car brakes automatically. And if a pedestrian is struck, the bonnet opens and an airbag protects the pedestrian.
Airbags infl ate on impact to protect driver and passengers, including extra airbags at the sides of the car and near the driver’s legs. An external airbag protects any pedestrian struck by the car.
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