Improving automotive safety is not a new initiative for global automakers; it's been a part of their business plan for years. One part of the equation that has evolved over time is the increased emphasis of the automotive designer's role in overall vehicle safety. Safety is no longer the sole responsibility of a handful of interior, electrical and mechanical engineers; today's designers are taking a much more proactive role in ensuring that safety is a priority in vehicle design.
There have always been two paths to improving vehicle safety: prevention and protection. Naturally, prevention...the major goal of which is keeping people, objects and vehicles away from each other and out of harm's way...is paramount. Accident prevention is influenced by many hundreds of factors and became a concern the moment multiple vehicles began to share the same road. Many of the advances in prevention were aimed at making us better drivers, such as legislation that addressed vehicle lighting, turn signals and basic demands on components such as windshields, mirrors and tires. As more cars and trucks hit the road, so did an increase in the rate of accidents and injuries. This led to further requirements and laws for driver education, roadway signage, design of pedestrian crossings, speed limits and highway design. It is this approach that brought about much of the early advances in preventing accidents.
Many point to the invention of the three-point seat belt as one of the earliest advancements in occupant safety. Engineers are credited with introducing the modern seat belt in 1959, and the immediate impact the seat belt made in crash safety led to it becoming a basic requirement for all vehicles. It took many more years before laws were passed requiring occupants to buckle up.
Nowadays, safety is viewed from a variety of disciplines and examined in more ways than ever before. Automotive designers are looking far beyond body lines and chrome enhancements. They are closely involved in the structural integrity of a vehicle during impact. Automotive designers will always receive the most accolades for the beauty of their designs, but in truth they are just as deeply involved "beneath the skin" when it comes to safety. Here are some examples:
Preventative Safety
To meet the objective of preventative safety, automotive engineers must ensure that a vehicle provides excellent road visibility for the driver. Proper road visibility is a key factor in identifying problems quickly and making the correct decision in good time. Poor visibility, particularly in inclement weather, leads to dramatic increases in the rates and severity of road accidents.
Control Assistance Systems
Control assistance systems such as ABS, or anti-lock brakes, aid the safe performance of a vehicle. Additional systems like traction and stability control can help enable safer driving by helping to compensate for limits in human ability.
Reactive Safety
Designing with reactive safety in mind is about minimizing damage and injury once an accident is inevitable. This means designing structures and devices that absorb the energy of impact rather than transfer it to a person or object in a dangerous and uncontrollable way.
Accident Avoidance Technology
Accident avoidance technology is truly the next wave of innovation that is beginning to find its way into our vehicles. For more than 20 years, engineers have been facing the challenge of taking very expensive, low-volume, military aerospace radar systems and converting them into less expensive, high-volume radar systems for passenger cars. Their efforts are coming to fruition, and automotive designers are working closely with engineers to incorporate these sophisticated systems into today's vehicles.
Radar Sensors
The new generation of radar sensors has a wide field of view and will assist the driver with a number of functions, including smart or adaptive cruise control, pre-crash mitigation with autonomous brake assist, pedestrian detection and collision warning. These newest radar sensor systems will enable better performance at a lower cost, making it possible for automakers to offer collision mitigation technology across a larger percentage of their fleets.
It's all about safety, and in today's highly competitive global marketplace, designers and engineers are quickly realizing that by working together they can bring exciting and safe products to the public quickly and efficiently.
About the Author:
Mike Trudel, Freelance Writer.
Delphi Corporation is a leading innovator of automobile safety equipment and technology. To learn about Delphi's safety advancements, visit www.Delphi.com/4safe.