HUMAN BIOMECHANICS GREATLY INFLUENCED THE SAFETY DESIGN OF THE SAAB 9-5 WAGON
NORCROSS, Ga. - In the crash safety design of the Saab 9-5 Wagon and Sedan models, human biomechanics have been Saab's main focus. This is a vital part of Saab's Real-life Safety philosophy, and means that all potential crash forces acting on the human body should be as gentle as possible. In the design of all Saab automobiles particular attention is paid to designing the chassis to dissipate impact energy forces away from the weaker, more susceptible areas of the human body. The front structure of the Saab 9-5 Wagon, like the sedan, incorporates triple load paths on either side of the front of the chassis to distribute crash energy over as broad an area as possible. This design enables the front of the car to absorb as much of the frontal impact crash energy as possible, rather than allowing it to transfer into the passenger compartment. The structure is designed to minimize the crash forces for the occupants in the car, regardless of direction. Extending the elapsed time of the crash sequence is crucial in reducing the violence of the impact for occupants to minimize their potential injuries.
A Strong Rear Seat Back
A strong rear seat back is vital to safety in cars with large load carrying
capabilities. Even though the rear seat of the Saab 9-5 Wagon is fully
foldable with a 40/60 percent split, it's still built to be very strong.
The 9-5 Wagon's rear seat design is very robust with latching mechanisms
designed to withstand extreme crash forces.
Force-Reducing, Pretensioning Front Seat Belts
All five seating positions incorporate three-point inertia reel seat belts
with semi-automatic height adjustments and anti-submarining ramps to
prevent the occupant from sliding under the belt in a severe frontal
collision. All Saab 9-5 models, including the wagon, are now fitted with a
new, force-reducing front seat-belt and pre-tensioner system which is more
effective and more comfortable. These new seat-belts feature more pliancy
which, at a predetermined load level, causes the belt to slacken slightly
when the occupant is thrown forward with sufficient force. This permits
gentler restraint of the forward motion of the occupant, and reduces the
risk of belt-induced injury in the event of a high-speed collision,
especially if the individual involved has frail bones. It is nevertheless
worth noting that any possible belt-induced injuries would be marginal
compared with the injuries that are likely to be sustained by an unbelted
individual in a corresponding collision.
Side Impact Protecting Body Structure and Airbags
The Saab safety cage around the passenger compartment is made from an
extremely rigid system of high-tensile steel members. Biomechanical
studies of side impact injuries have resulted in a special collision
deflecting side structure that Saab calls its pendulum "B" pillar. Simply
put, kinetic energy from a crash is like water or electricity in that it
will always take the path of least resistance. In Saab's pendulum "B"
pillar our engineers have designed-in the path of least resistance to
deflect crash forces away from the upper parts of the human body, which are
more susceptible to injury. The Saab 9-5 Wagon's extensive standard safety
equipment list also includes new dual-stage head and torso protecting
side-impact airbags integrated into the side of the front seatbacks. When
activated, the airbags inflate in two stages. The bottom section of the
bag is inflated first to protect the torso, which is the first part of the
occupant's body at risk from side-impact collision forces. While the lower
section of the bag is fully inflated, the upper section of the bag is
gradually inflated. The top section of the airbag then fully inflates, with
the assistance of pressure from the lower section allowed through check
valves when the occupants' torso contacts the lower bag area, to offer
protection for the head.
Strong Rear End Crash Protection
The Saab 9-5 Wagon features the same triple load path impact absorbing
structure as the sedan. In a rear end collision, crash forces will be
distributed over as much body structure as possible to absorb the crash
energy rather than transfer it to the vehicle occupants. To provide more
survival space in the rear, high strength steel is used to reinforce the
rear roof pillars and the roof.
Rear End Design Interacts with the SAHR System
The crash energy absorption of the rear end is tuned to interact with the
Saab Active Head Restraint (SAHR), in the front seats, which helps to
reduce the risk of whiplash injuries. This is another area where Saab's
engineers have used the Real-life Safety philosophy and taken the
biomechanics of the human being as a starting point for their design work.
The SAHR system is standard in the Saab 9-5 Wagon. The rear head restraints
are designed to be a lot less comfortable to lean backwards against if they
are out of position. By adjusting it to a comfortable position, the rear
seat passenger will know that the restraint is correctly in place. When
there are no passengers in the rear seat, the rear head restraints can be
lowered right down to the top of the seat back, improving the rear view for
the driver.
An Outstanding Load Securing System with Aircraft Inspired CargoTracksTM
Saab's new, and unique, standard CargoTracksTM form the basis for safe
loading in the Saab 9-5 Wagon. The two floor-mounted aluminium rails are an
example of technology crossover from the aircraft industry (in aircraft
they are used to position and secure seats and cargo onto the floor).
CargoTracksTM utilizes one-grip locks and load securing belts to make sure
that cargo doesn't shift under emergency braking or during an accident. Due
to the user-friendliness and flexibility provided by the CargoTracksTM
system, Saab 9-5 Wagon owners will be more inclined to securely fasten
cargo they carry and drive more safely. Four spring-loaded one-grip locks
are included as standard equipment. They are easily hooked into the track
and can also be easily moved along it, thereby offering maximum flexibility
for securing any cargo. Load straps and an elastic loading net that fit the
one-grip locks are available as accessories. When the CargoTracksTM aren't
used, there are specially designed covers for them to keep them clean and
ready for their next use.
The Saab In-Car-Safety Card
The importance of loading the car correctly and securely is an issue that
Saab has informed its customers about for years. The in-car-safety card,
that comes with every new Saab car sold after 1996, shows vital information
on how to make transportation as safe as possible. There is also extensive
information in the owner's manual to increase passenger knowledge on how to
use the car's safety systems.