TRW unveiled its second generation Head
Protection System for convertibles (HPSC II). TRW's HPSC II technology
is fully integrated in the backrest bolster eliminating the need for an
integrated head rest and thereby increasing its compatibility with a
broader range of convertible vehicles. According to TRW, HPSC II is
compact and comprises light weight component parts resulting in a lower
mass module overall. Like the first generation HPSC, the second
generation HPSC also takes into account different load cases and
passenger sizes. This adaptability improves the airbags' position in
relation to the occupant in the event of a side crash situation. more...
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
(IIHS) has released a list of rollover ratings for more than 100 cars.
IIHS
started Roof Crush tests in 2009 when the Roof Strength Test Protocol
was released to compare the crashworthiness in rollover situations.
As reported by the Federal Statistical
Office (Destatis) on the basis of provisional results, 1,675 persons
were killed in road traffic accidents in Germany from January to the
end of June 2010. Compared to the first half of 2009, their number was
down by 291 or 15 %. That decrease is even more remarkable as there had
already been a strong decline in the first half of 2009. This very
positive development observed in the first six months of 2010 suggests
that the number of persons killed in road traffic will be below 4,000
this year for the first time. The number of road users who were
seriously or slightly injured in road traffic accidents also fell
markedly in the first half of 2010 against the same period one year
earlier, that is by 9.1 % to about 168,100 persons.
Euro NCAP releases the crash test results
for four vehicles: the Honda CR-Z, the Suzuki Swift, the Citroen C4 and
the Hyundai ix35. In this latest set of results all of the cars
received a maximum five star rating. The results show that
manufacturers are rising to the challenges of Euro NCAP’s new rating
scheme and are continuing to make safety a priority. The Honda CR-Z
demonstrates that good all round safety needs not be compromised by a
fuel efficient petrol-electric hybrid powertrain: its pedestrian
protection result continues the high scores achieved by recently tested
Hondas. Several manufacturers are expected to release fully electric
vehicles in the near future. From October onwards, Euro NCAP will be
able to offer even more comprehensive guidance to consumers about the
safety offered by new cars. Euro NCAP Advanced will assess those
technologies which are beyond the scope of the current crash tests.
Takata launched construction of an 18,500
square-foot expansion to house enhanced automotive safety testing. The
$14.6 million investment will include North America’s first automotive
supplier servo controlled crash simulation sled with advanced pitching
capabilities. The new facility will test automotive occupant safety
restraint systems for high speed frontal and side impact conditions. It
provides the most advanced sled crash simulation equipment available
from any automotive supplier in North America. Takata estimates a
one-year build out and the creation of 40 new high tech jobs within TK
Holdings Inc. as a result of the new testing capabilities.
Fifteen years ago, Bosch began series
production of the Electronic Stability Program for motor vehicles. ESP
helps to prevent vehicles from skidding, and independent studies show
that it can reduce the number of serious or fatal single vehicle
accidents by nearly half. That makes ESP the most important vehicle
safety system after the seat belt, more important than the airbag. In
summer 2009, the EU adopted a regulation that requires all newly
registered vehicles to have ESP as per November 2014. In 2009, 60
percent of all new vehicles were equipped with ESP. Globally, 36
percent, or more than one in three vehicles were equipped with this
anti-skid system.
Since 1973, the International Research
Council on the Biomechanics of Injury (IRCOBI) has organised an
international conference annually. The 2010 conference will take place
in the City of Hannover, Germany. The conference venue is the
Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (Hannover Medical School). The 2010
conference will be organized in collaboration with ESAR – Expert
Symposium on Accident Research and will provide in addition to the
biomechanical topics a session about integrated safety and accident
analysis.
In cooperation with the Network of
Automotive Excellence (NoAE) and the automotive industry, the NoAE
Innovation Competition 2010 takes place. This year, new ideas all
around the automobile are being searched for, especially from companies
in “non-automotive” sectors. For this year’s competition, four main
topic clusters are given that are of particular importance for the
automobile industry. All companies and research institutions are being
called upon to contribute to the topic clusters "The Vehicle, a Special
Environment", "Communication and IT in the Vehicle", "Eco Innovation -
New Approaches to C02-Reduction" and "Efficient and Flexible
Production". Until September 30, 2010, innovations entries can be made
via the 
