Opening the doors to a manufacturer’s facilities, research and development labs, or testing facilities is uncommon. The Polygon Test Center in Uhelnice, a centre of excellence (given the Crash Laboratory of the Year in 2020), was where Skoda honoured 50 years of crash testing in the Czech Republic, and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been one of the few who was permitted to visit.
The first vehicle to take on the tests of the day was the Skoda 100 L, which was pushed at 48 km/h by a steam rocket against a stationary obstacle in 1972 when the nation was still known as Czechoslovakia (via a rail that ended five metres before a concrete wall).
There is no written documentation to support the claim that the first test was a Skoda 1000 MB launched at 20 km/h against a wall in 1968. Although the car had no external propulsion systems, the carburetor setting had been altered such that it could go at this speed while idling.
Car Safety and Crash Tests
To ensure the safety of drivers and passengers on the road, car safety and crash testing are essential. The term “vehicle safety” describes the steps taken by automakers to lower the possibility of harm or death in the case of an accident. To evaluate how well a car performs in various crash scenarios, crash testing are carried out.
Modern vehicles have a number of safety features that help lower the chance of fatalities or serious injuries during collisions. They include crumple zones, anti-lock braking systems (ABS), airbags, seat belts, and seat belts. In the event of a collision, these features work together to help safeguard passengers.
Independent agencies like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conduct crash tests (IIHS). These tests evaluate the safety of vehicles in a range of collision situations, including rollovers, frontal and side impacts, and collisions with pedestrians. The outcomes of these tests are used to calculate a car’s safety rating.
Buyers of automobiles can use safety ratings to compare the security features of several models and select the one that provides the best security for them and their passengers. It is crucial to remember that safety ratings are only one aspect to take into account when buying a car; other aspects like fuel efficiency, price, and performance should also be taken into consideration.
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SAFETY COSTS
The cost of cars has greatly increased over time, and we frequently lament the fact that the original generation, possibly purchased when we were younger, was far less expensive than the most recent model purchased ten, twenty, or thirty years later.
Few people, however, focus on how far security has come, both passively and actively. Although it is getting harder to die in a car today, it has also gotten safer for vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, scooters).
Nowadays, everyone wants to see the five EuroNCAP stars and very high scores, but we never take the time to consider how these outcomes may be attained in tests that get more demanding and stricter every year.
Just to give you an idea of the scale, a manufacturer like Skoda (and it is undoubtedly not the only one) conducts roughly 20,000 computer simulations and a few hundred physical tests of the parties most likely to be involved in a collision during the car design phase (before the official tests), and this is only to determine safety in the event of an accident with pedestrians.
All of this implies that after the car is designed, it is tested (both digitally and physically), and if a problem is discovered, the process starts over by modifying the materials or designs.
At that stage, however, it is vital to ensure that the alterations do not effect the aerodynamics, design or manufacturability of the components in the factory, otherwise they would further increase costs. This cycle repeats itself until the desired outcome is attained, which guarantees that internal tests will result in the homologation tests passing first and the safety tests (EuroNCAP, Global NCAP, etc.) passing second.
WE ARE NOT ALL THE SAME
Tests on “dummies,” or “dummies” that simulate human beings and allow us to investigate what might happen to our bodies in the event of an accident, are another feature that most people overlook.
Throughout the years, we’ve progressed from extremely basic models to increasingly advanced ones packed with sensors, to the point where today’s prices, exempt from VAT, range from €120,000 to roughly half a million euros. It should be highlighted that not only has the likelihood and quantity of sensors in the dummies increased, but so have the kinds of physiques that these dummies simulate.
The safety of children is only guaranteed if they are in a seat that is appropriate for their size and age, which is possible thanks to modern dummies that can replicate most varieties of female physique, as well as male ones of various sizes and that of youngsters ( a theme well witnessed by Filippo during his visit to the Cybex laboratory).
STANDARD EQUIPMENT
The goal of Europe, one of the safest nations, is to have no fatalities from traffic accidents. To that end, stricter safety regulations have been put in place and are now required of all manufacturers that want to sell their goods in the Old World. This is one of the key reasons why there are important pricing discrepancies between the classic “low cost” Chinese car supplied in the East and the same car offered in Europe.
Because the European tests utilise higher thresholds, it is not just about ADAS, some of which are now required in the EU, but also about how the frame is constructed and the materials used.
The anti-collision system, Front Assist with automated emergency braking, and Lane Assist, which warns in the event of an inadvertent lane departure and assists in regaining control of the vehicle, are all required in today’s European cars.
Then, manufacturers can choose to add additional features to the basic specifications, which also include all electronic traction controls, ABS, and airbags (the Octavia has 10 airbags as standard on the Czech brand’s vehicles). All the most advanced levels of active safety and semi-autonomous driving, formerly reserved mainly for flagships, are now available across the whole Skoda lineup (standard or optional depending on the model).
They include the Travel Assistant with adaptive cruise control, which is also predictive, the upgraded lane monitoring system called Adaptive Lane Assistant, which also detects road obstructions, or preventive systems like occupant protection.
When it senses an impending accident, the latter, which is standard on the Octavia, Karoq, Kodiaq, Superb, and Enyaq iV, tightens the seat belts, rolls down the windows, and turns on the danger lights.
A QUESTION OF NUMBERS
Modern factories need to be able to rely on numbers that can support a variety of tests, like the one in Uhelnice, close to Mlada Boleslav. The test facility has been increased by Polygon from the original 50 metres to 100 metres. This has made it possible for vehicles to be launched at a more steady pace without affecting the position of the test subjects.
The arrest chamber can now launch two vehicles with a combined weight of up to 3.5 tonnes in a frontal approach, each at a maximum speed of 65 km/h or both at a maximum speed of 120 km/h. The current simulation speed for collisions is 50 km/h.
The testing centre also houses nine adult and four child dummies that are used in the test vehicles and are millimeter-accurately positioned in the passenger compartment using static photogrammetry, ensuring that the seat is always in the proper position.
In addition to 20 static cameras and 30 high-speed HD cameras (frames per second counts more than resolution) incorporated during crash tests, there is a measuring wall monitoring the tests to record the forces produced during impact. Recently included, as mandated by law, was a car flooding system employed after experiments with electric automobiles.
Electric automobiles should be considered when discussing statistics and technological advancements because they are subject to accident tests just like other vehicles. A battery-powered car must contend throughout the design phase with battery specifications that are by an order of magnitude greater than those of conventional vehicles: the voltage ranges from 400 to 800 V, depending on the technology utilised. The floor contains the electric battery’s components, which are protected by an impact- and water-resistant housing.
Protection relays and sensors round out the equipment. In the event of an accident, the electrical components are disconnected from the battery in a matter of milliseconds, and independent tests (some of which were extensive in addition to being required by law) have demonstrated that the battery remained intact even in the face of significant body deformation and that the cut-off system operated in all collisions.
FAKE BODY, REAL REACTIONS
Safety testing also include artificial body parts from objects that are also filled with sensors in addition to dummies. Some of the most important ones were from the Polygon test rig at Uhelnice, which included two spheres that represented the body’s limbs and head (which were the same size but varying weights depending on whether they were children or adults).
In particular, the legs used in the tests have changed over time, moving from fixed models that allowed for the examination of traumas but ignored the natural joints to more sophisticated models that are currently common in Europe. In some circumstances, such as India, the law still permits you to utilise the prior model (the blue one in the image below).
All versions assess bone, muscle, and tendon injuries, although there has been a significant change in this instance as well. The “2.0” version, which employs a potentiometer and is more compact and accurate in estimating the forces generated upon impact, replaces the “1.0” version’s representation of tendons as metal elements with the same resistance as human ones.
Conclusion
The safety of drivers and passengers on the road depends heavily on auto safety and crash tests. A variety of safety features, including airbags, seat belts, and electronic stability control, have been added by automakers to decrease the possibility of accidents resulting in injury or fatalities. Independent groups run crash tests to gauge how well cars perform in different crash scenarios in terms of safety, and the results are used to provide safety ratings.
When purchasing a car, consumers can utilise safety ratings to compare the safety features of several models and come to a well-informed decision. In the end, driving safety should always come first, and the likelihood of accidents can be decreased by adhering to safe driving procedures and the law.
