How to Judge a Car's Body Strength and Collision Safety?
In purchasing a car, the body strength and collision safety are extremely important factors that consumers pay close attention to. They directly relate to the life safety of occupants in the event of a collision. Below are some methods for judging a car's body strength and collision safety.
Firstly, you can check the car's collision test scores. Professional collision testing institutions, such as China's C-NCAP and the US's IIHS, will conduct comprehensive collision tests on various vehicle models. These tests include frontal collisions, side collisions, rear-end collisions, etc. The testing institution will give a comprehensive score based on the vehicle's performance in the collision process, such as the degree of deformation and injury to crash test dummies, etc. Generally speaking, the higher the score, the better the car is at protecting occupants during a collision, and the stronger its body is likely to be. For example, some luxury brands often achieve excellent scores in collision tests, indicating that they place greater emphasis on safety in their vehicle design and material usage.
Secondly, you can learn about the car's use of high-strength steel and ratio. The strength of the body steel is a key factor in determining the body strength. High-strength steel can better absorb and distribute energy during a collision, reducing deformation. Generally, automakers will publicly disclose the proportion of high-strength steel used in their vehicles. The higher the proportion, the stronger the overall body is likely to be. For example, some high-end models use a large amount of heat-treated steel with a strength of up to 1500MPa or more, which can effectively improve the vehicle's ability to withstand collisions.
Thirdly, you can observe the car's structural design. A reasonable structural design can guide energy transmission during a collision and avoid concentrating energy on critical areas such as the driver's compartment. For example, the front and rear crash beams, longitudinal beams, A-pillars, B-pillars, etc. are crucial in design. The crash beam can play a buffering role in minor collisions, reducing damage to the main structural body; the longitudinal beam can transmit collision energy to other parts of the vehicle; and the A-pillar and B-pillar play key roles in protecting occupants' heads and necks during side impacts and rollover accidents. If these components are designed reasonably, robustly connected, and well-anchored, the vehicle's collision safety will be higher.
In addition, you can refer to the car's safety configuration. Safety airbags, pretensioner seatbelts, vehicle stability control systems, etc. also contribute to the vehicle's collision safety in some degree. The airbag can rapidly deploy during a collision to provide cushioning protection for occupants; the pretensioner seatbelt can tighten the seatbelt instantly during a collision to securely restrain passengers on their seats; and the vehicle stability control system can automatically adjust engine power and braking to help the driver maintain vehicle stability, reducing the probability of collisions.
To make it easier to compare different vehicles in terms of collision safety, here is a simple table:
Vehicle Type | Collision Test Score (C-NCAP) | High-Strength Steel Ratio | Main Safety Configuration |
---|---|---|---|
Vehicle A | Five-star | 60% | 6 airbags, pretensioner seatbelts, vehicle stability control system |
Vehicle B | Four-star | 40% | 4 airbags, ordinary seatbelts, no vehicle stability control system |
By using these methods, consumers can comprehensively judge a car's body strength and collision safety, making more informed purchasing decisions.