Woman killed in car crash-Volvo Sedan

lovinwaves

New member
When I saw this story for some reason it struck me as odd that this was a fatal accident. The woman was driving a Volvo Sedan and was T-boned. I guess I hold a high standard for Volvo's safety. Well........then I read she was NOT wearing her seatbelt. So much for owning a very safe car, but then not wearing your seatbelt. So sad, and yet probably a very preventable fatality. :( Notice the side airbags did deploy. This also brings up the subject of Truck vs. Car.

http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/10717906/detail.html#
 
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southpawboston

New member
yes, well this article brings up several good points, including the one you brought up about car vs truck.

1) just because a car is touted as "safe" does not mean that in real world situations you are actually safe. just because they are tested safe in a very controlled and specific suite of tests does not mean that they will keep you safe in every situation. and if i may speak subjectively, volvos were years ahead of other cars in terms of safety several years ago, but the playing field has become much more level. in this particular incident, who knows whether the seatbelt would have saved her life. very possibly. but also possibly not.

2) truck versus car. a large truck or SUV with a high ground clearance will definitely have an advantage over a car, all other things being equal (weight is used as a parameter in ranking cars in informedforlife.org). this causes many safety-conscious people to choose massive vehicles over regular passenger cars so that their own precious cargo will be safe, but it means at the expense of someone else's potential safety. i have mentioned in other threads that i don't agree with this weight/size "arms race" that we in the US appear to be in.
 

lovinwaves

New member
This causes many safety-conscious people to choose massive vehicles over regular passenger cars so that their own precious cargo will be safe, but it means at the expense of someone else's potential safety.

True True, but Honda is trying to not make it at the expense of someone else's safety though. I post the below info on another Thread. This definitely does not make me feel bad to drive a 4500 pound vehicle. ;)



I also wanted to share something that Honda is doing to help reduce the devistation that a larger vehicle can do on a smaller one. Honda has also made a committment to Pedestrian safety as well. The hood and fender areas are designed to deform if contacted by the head of an adult or a child pedestrian.

Here are some quotes from Hondanews.com regarding the Honda Odyssey. I highlighted what I am talking about


Quote:
Honda's innovative new Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure, offering enhanced occupant protection with reduced aggressivity toward other vehicles, will be applied to all new vehicle platforms in the U.S. and globally over the next six to seven years. The 2005 model Honda Odyssey minivan and 2005 Acura RL sedan will be the first U.S. models to carry this new technology. (The first ever Honda vehicle to feature ACE technology worldwide was the Honda Life, a minicar for the Japan market.)

Quote:
Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) Body Structure

The Odyssey is the first North American application of Honda's newly developed Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure, a system that results in improved compatibility between vehicles of different sizes with significantly enhanced occupant protection and reduced aggressivity toward other vehicles in a collision.

Quote:
The design also helps reduce the potential for misalignment with the frame of the opposing vehicle whether it's small or large.

If anyone would like more info on this I can PM you the info.
 

twokidstwodogs

New member
Volvos are great cars, but their crash test ratings are not always what you might expect. I considered buying a V50 and while I loved many of the safety features (like pretensioners for rear seatbelts), the similar S40's crash tests results were just all right. For that kind of money, I want all the stars possible!
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
Sorry, I just had a little moment when reading that the front end of a honda will deform when hitting a human head...Can't imagine it would do too much good if my head is in contact with the front end of a honda! Even if it deforms, I am probably not in a very good place!
 

southpawboston

New member
yes, some mfrs are making their bohemoths more car-like in terms of using car-height bumpers and also deformable parts for pedestrian safety like the honda ACE system. but you have a honda minivan, not an SUV (and kudos to honda for those designs). most SUVs today are still not incorporating those features you mention. euroNCAP actually rates the fronts of cars for how well pedestrians fare when hit. NHTSA does nothing of the sort. very few cars in euroNCAP do well in this regard.
 

lovinwaves

New member
yes, some mfrs are making their bohemoths more car-like in terms of using car-height bumpers and also deformable parts for pedestrian safety like the honda ACE system. but you have a honda minivan, not an SUV (and kudos to honda for those designs). most SUVs today are still not incorporating those features you mention. euroNCAP actually rates the fronts of cars for how well pedestrians fare when hit. NHTSA does nothing of the sort. very few cars in euroNCAP do well in this regard.

Ok, I could probably google Euroncap but I am too lazy, so what does that stand for? LOL :)

Yes, I will have to see if Honda is also integrating this safety system in their SUV's and Truck as well. I would assume so. Maybe we as auto drivers will need to make more informed decisions on what cars we buy. This safety system was important to my husband and I, because if we were ever to hit another vehicle I would want there to be as less damage as possible and injury.

RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH!!! Very very important when it comes to car buying! :D
 

lovinwaves

New member
So I don't know if the Honda Pilot is using the same safety feature as the Odyssey in regards to compatibility, but I did find this info...

In regards to the HONDA PILOT:
A highly rigid passenger compartment is reinforced laterally and longitudinally to maintain its size and shape for omni-directional crash protection. A special bracket attached to the vehicle's front frame structure improves compatibility with other vehicles in a frontal collision. The use of high tensile steel in critical areas further enhances body integrity while minimizing associated weight penalties.
 

southpawboston

New member
OMG you all really have to check them out!!! euroncap.com. it's the european union's version of NHTSA, of sorts. it stands for euro new car assessment program. they have a nice index of cars organized by category. the biggest caveat is that there are only a handful of cars that are essentially the same vehicle in the US and europe (example, the honda ody is not sold in europe, so you won't find it there, but the CRV is there). but many german, swedish, and to a lesser extent, japanese, cars are sold in both the US and europe as essentially the same vehicle. another caveat is that even the same cars here and there may have different safety options that affect their safety ratings. also, the euroNCAP methods are different from NHTSA's or IIHS (they are similar to IIHS but at higher speed-- also, for side impact they do a "pole" test instead of a car-like ram). so some cars that rate poorly here rate well there, and vice versa. but it is at least one more piece of information that consumers can integrate into their car buying decisions. for example, my mazda3 is rated poorly by IIHS for side impact, because they didn't test a model with side air bags. but in europe, it was tested with the SAB/SAC and achieved a near-perfect score. the other great thing about euroNCAP is that they test cars with carseats!!! and they report how well the child dummies fared. overall, i am more impressed with their overall analyses for vehicles than NHTSA's or IIHS's.

as you say, RESEARCH, RESEARCH RESEARCH!
 

lovinwaves

New member
OMG you all really have to check them out!!! euroncap.com. it's the european union's version of NHTSA, of sorts. it stands for euro new car assessment program. they have a nice index of cars organized by category. the biggest caveat is that there are only a handful of cars that are essentially the same vehicle in the US and europe (example, the honda ody is not sold in europe, so you won't find it there, but the CRV is there). but many german, swedish, and to a lesser extent, japanese, cars are sold in both the US and europe as essentially the same vehicle. another caveat is that even the same cars here and there may have different safety options that affect their safety ratings. also, the euroNCAP methods are different from NHTSA's or IIHS (they are similar to IIHS but at higher speed-- also, for side impact they do a "pole" test instead of a car-like ram). so some cars that rate poorly here rate well there, and vice versa. but it is at least one more piece of information that consumers can integrate into their car buying decisions. for example, my mazda3 is rated poorly by IIHS for side impact, because they didn't test a model with side air bags. but in europe, it was tested with the SAB/SAC and achieved a near-perfect score. the other great thing about euroNCAP is that they test cars with carseats!!! and they report how well the child dummies fared. overall, i am more impressed with their overall analyses for vehicles than NHTSA's or IIHS's.

as you say, RESEARCH, RESEARCH RESEARCH!

Aw Haw!!! Thanks so much for that link, oh no now I will never get off the laptop LOL. Researching cars is one of my favorite things to do. ;)
 

southpawboston

New member
Aw Haw!!! Thanks so much for that link, oh no now I will never get off the laptop LOL. Researching cars is one of my favorite things to do. ;)

no prob! i may even start a new thread, as many people may not know about it. there are some major caveats, as i mentioned a couple above. but i'll start a thread and try to cover all the caveats in trying to assess a car you buy here based on the results of cars sold in another country (i wouldn't want to usurp NHTSA, after all). :rolleyes:

researcing cars is a sort of hobby of mine, as well! (but driving them is even more fun)
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
Quote:
Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) Body Structure

The Odyssey is the first North American application of Honda's newly developed Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure, a system that results in improved compatibility between vehicles of different sizes with significantly enhanced occupant protection and reduced aggressivity toward other vehicles in a collision.

When I bought my Honda, I was given the pamphlet about ACE because my car apparently has it. It also has the pedestrian safety features I was describing last night on the chat. :)
 

AdventureMom

Senior Community Member
Hmmm... In the Kyle Miller accident, they first stated that he was not buckled in. Only later was it decided that his seatbelt came unlatched. I wonder if this is possible in this situation? Why drive a Volvo and not buckle the seatbelt? On the other hand, she did "fail to yield", so perhaps she wasn't thinking as clearly or acting as she normally would for some reason or another and did *not* buckle up just as she did not stop. Very sad either way...

Maria
 

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