#5450 10/27/95 Message from R. Scott V. Paterson (rsvp@warp.org) Subject: Press: Safety ================== REAL-LIFE SAFETY RESEARCH IS STANDARD ON EVERY SAAB Saab Safety Research Takes Saab Safety Engineering Beyond Crash Barriers NORCROSS, Ga. --All 1996 Saab 900 and 9000 models meet, and many times exceed, all of the safety demands legislated by law. In fact, many of today's federally mandated features were already initiated by Saab long before a ruling was ever put to paper. Saabs, however, must live up to even tougher standards -- those set by Saab safety engineers who view legislation as a starting point in the ongoing drive toward building the safest possible automobiles. In the dramatic split-second time frame of a collision, dozens of individual systems and subsystems must work in partnership toward one paramount goal: to protect a Saab's occupants. Although seven types of crash tests are required by law, Saab subjects vehicles to 21 different types of laboratory collisions, including offset, angled, roll-over and even a simulated large-animal impact. In addition, countless tests are performed via state-of-the-art computer simulations. Rather than optimize the body structure of a Saab to perform best in one type of legislated test, such as a full frontal crash into a flat barrier, the Saab is designed, engineered and tested to perform well in many kinds of unpredictable collisions. As evidenced by Saab's own real-world accident investigations, every road accident is entirely unique, and none has ever, in Saab's experience, been exactly duplicated by a crash-test lab. Saab's "real life" safety engineering takes its research beyond merely protecting crash-test dummies. Saabs are built to protect people. Real Life Safety Research Comes From the Road Because real accidents don't happen in crash-test laboratories, it's necessary that research be supplemented by detailed knowledge of how the car behaves in real accidents on actual highways. Since 1971, Saab has been investigating Swedish road accidents in which Saab cars were involved. The Saab database currently has information on almost 5,000 serious road accidents. In addition to providing statistical information, the investigation also enables Saab to study accidents from a medical viewpoint. Dr. Hugo Ugander, a former surgeon with 17 years experience, is just one of the members of the Swedish automaker's safety engineering team. Saab's medical expert and his team regularly travel to the actual scene of an accident involving a Saab car to gather information. When permission is given, they also interview occupants, examine medical records and transport the damaged cars to the Saab Technical Center for detailed study. The responsibility for the accident is of no interest to Saab, and all information obtained is held in strict confidence. The only pertinent factors are how the accident occurred, the role played by technology and the human being, and above all, how the various systems and subsystems of the Saab behaved during the collision, and how they contributed to the occupants' survival. "Saab's comprehensive approach to safety research allows us to find factors that improve the crashworthiness of our cars even further," Ugander said. The results of the investigations are analyzed by Saab engineers and designers, who use the information directly in their daily work. Structural Inteqrity Is the Foundation of Saab Safety Philosophy Survival space for the driver and passengers is a key criterion in the design of every new Saab. Sturdy steel reinforcements surround the passenger compartment, diverting collision forces away from the occupants, regardless of whether the impact comes from the front, rear or side. Saab bodies are designed so that they deform in a controlled, consistent way, ensuring that crash energy is well distributed instead of being concentrated at one point. Front and rear crumple zones take the brunt of a crash. Sections of the body deform progressively, which means that they are designed to absorb energy as they give way gradually, without individual panels being torn away or intruding into the interior. The strongest, stiffest components comprise the passenger compartment "safety cage." The sides of the car cannot be protected with crumple zones, so the body structure is designed to disperse force over as large an area as possible. The crash stresses are absorbed by the side of the car and distributed by the door reinforcing beams and reinforcements in the sill and B-pillar to the safety cage of the body. The cross-members in the floor and under the rear seat are designed to prevent the body from being compressed sideways. On the Saab 900, the unique rear"Safeseat" also includes a cross-member at the top of the rear seat backrest that contributes towards keeping the safety cage intact. Sudden Impact Because moose and deer are common throughout Scandinavia, where Saabs are designed and built, one particular type of accident unfortunately occurs all too often. Each year, thousands of car/animal collisions are recorded. Therefore, Saab conducts crash tests into an 860-pound "artificial moose," made of heavy electrical cables. The high-speed test simulates the most dangerous type of animal impact: an adult moose or elk striking the windshield and forward roof pillars. This industry-unique test ensures that the Saab safety cage structure resists intrusion of the obstacle into the passenger space. While it's not legislated, the Saab "moose test" is another example of Saab's commitment to solving real-world safety challenges. Light Collision Resistance for Lower Insurance Costs In a high-speed crash, a Saab is designed to sacrifice its own body for the protection of its occupants. In a low-speed collision, an owner will appreciate Saab's damage resistance. Both the Saab 900 and 9000 feature foam-core bumpers that can actually restore to their original shape following a low-speed impact of 5 mph or less. Each year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) subjects new cars to a series of low-speed crash tests to check the strength of their bumpers. In a recent rond of tests, a Saab 900 was the only 4-door mid-siza car to drive away from the 5- mph front and rear flat barrier impacts without damage. In fact, the 900 is one of only four cars tested since 1990 that suffered zero damage in the flat barrier tests. Behind the front bumper of the Saab 900 is a unique "low-speed crash protection system," designed to protect the sheet metal and lamp clusters from damage in minor collisions of up to about 13 mph. Special replaceable deformation elements mounted behind the front bumper absorb the energy of a low-speed impact. Because these modules can be easily replaced, the cost of a minor collision is reduced -- an advantage for the consumer and the insurance company. Safety Belts and Airbags Offer Personal Protection Predictable deformation behavior enables the design of the safety belts, airbags and interior details to be optimized to further reduce the risk of occupant injury in a collision. Safety belts are the most important restraint system in any car. In a Saab, the front safety belts include pretensioning retractors that automatically tighten the belts during a crash to control body movement. In addition, the shoulder belts' upper anchorage points are adjustable to help the occupants position the belt correctly and comfortably across the body. The Saab seats themselves also contribute to passenger safety. Each individual seat -- front and rear -- is sculpted with an anti-submarining design. The shape of each seat is specifically designed to prevent occupants from sliding forward and under the safety belt during an accident. The car's most technically sophisticated safety system are the dual airbags, standard on every 1996 Saab. Airbags for the driver and front passenger inflate in less than three-hundredths of a second, helping to arrest the forward movement of the occupants during a crash. Airbags, together with pretensioning safety belts and the carefully engineered body structure of a Saab, have contributed to many Saab owners walking away from accidents that may have otherwise left them seriously injured. Saab is Recognized as a Safety Leader Success of Saab's safety engineering is apparent by the numerous accolades Saab has received for its commitment to protecting occupants. Sweden's largest car insurance company, Folksam, has named the Saab 9000 "Sweden's Safest Car" continuously since 1990. In the U.S., Saabs consistently rank among the top cars for low injury and collision losses by the Highway Loss Data Institute. The most important accolades Saab receives, however, come in the form of real-world "thank you" letters from Saab owners who walked away from a serious collision. Active Safety: Prevent an Accident From Happening Saabs are built to perform well at minimizing injury in an accident, but they also are engineered with an extremely high level of active safety -- attributes that enable the driver to avoid accidents. Many of the same factors that make Saab cars especially fun ================== EOF The Saab Network saab@network.mhs.compuserve.com
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
