A recent social media trend has drivers searching for crash test footage of their vehicles, and many are shocked by the results. Bonnets fold like paper, bumpers shear off, and rear sections buckle inward. The instinct is to be alarmed but safety engineers view this differently.
A vehicle that crumples in the right places, in the right way, is a car doing exactly what it was designed to do. The CEO of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, says: “Modern vehicles are built with dedicated crumple zones, most prominently at the front (the bonnet and engine bay) and the rear of the car.
“These sections are engineered to deform and absorb kinetic energy during an impact, slowing the deceleration experienced by occupants. The passenger cell, by contrast, is built to stay rigid and resist impact. Thus, while the wreckage of a crash can look dramatic, that damage may be the reason occupants walked away with minor injuries,” says Herbert.
Drivers should be concerned if their vehicle’s structural pillars appeared to be damaged. Together, these pillars form a protective safety cage around passengers while the front and rear crumple zones absorb the force around them.
- The A-pillar runs along the windscreen and supports the roof at the front and helps prevent collapse in a rollover, while also anchoring the front doors.
- The B-pillar is positioned between the front and rear doors and is one of the most heavily reinforced sections of the body. It protects occupants in a side impact and anchors seatbelts and door latches.
- The C-pillar at the rear of the passenger compartment supports the rear side and back of the roof, which is of particular importance in rear and rollover impacts.
This is why crash test videos, however dramatic, should never be the sole basis for judging a vehicle’s safety. “Organisations like Global NCAP and ANCAP go far beyond what is visible on camera. Their star ratings combine data from dummy sensors measuring head, chest, pelvis and leg forces.
“It also includes assessments of child seat compatibility, whiplash protection, and the presence of active safety systems such as electronic stability control (ESC). A vehicle with a five-star adult occupant rating is assessed against dozens of measurable criteria, not simply on how intact the bodywork looks afterwards.”
There is, however, an additional reason South African buyers should be informed when researching crash test results. “Global NCAP testing does not always apply to the same vehicles sold locally. Sometimes these are lower-specification versions of models available elsewhere, missing safety features like side head-protection airbags or ESC that are standard in Europe.
“Often, vehicles carrying familiar nameplates score poorly here despite versions of the same model performing well overseas as they have more safety features due to legal requirements. When researching a new vehicle, check not just whether a model has a Global NCAP or ANCAP rating, but whether that rating applies to the exact specification sold in South Africa,” says Herbert.
Read more MasterTips
