How much of a car do you see before you buy it? Typically, all you see is the shining, waxed shell and the freshly-smelling interior. Car dealerships want to show you the best side of the car they’re selling. However, with the decentralization of information that the Internet provides, you don’t have to rely on obscure ratings or sales pitches to inform and protect yourself. Simply type “crash test videos” into your search browser, and you can view for yourself what will happen to your prospective car if an accident ever occurs.
A picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, a video is worth a thousand ratings. Who knows what a “four-star rear crash protection rating” means? Michael Griffiths of Road Safety Solutions writes, “In effect the rating system ranges from 2 to 4 stars. This masks the wide range in performance during the offset crash test and decreases the program’s usefulness to consumers.” The question in most consumers’ minds is more concrete than a number of stars provides. You want to know, “what will happen if I buy this car and get rear-ended? Will my family be safe?” In order to make smart decisions about your car purchase, you have to see the crash tests for yourself.
There are four different types of crash test. They are: the frontal offset crash test, the side crash test, the rear crash protection/head restraint test, and the roof crush test. The frontal offset and side crash are the most important for assessing your and your family’s safety in a crash. Side crash tests show how safe occupants are, and frontal offset tests show the general integrity of the vehicle. The rear crash protection test mainly tests how well the seats, seatbelts, and head restraints prevent whiplash if your car is rear-ended. The roof crush test videos will give you a sense for what will happen in a rollover crash.
After watching a video, your gut will generally tell you which car you’d rather be in if you’re in a crash. However, it’s important to pay attention to certain details. Mainly, you want to pay attention to how well the car’s structure preserves the space occupied by the driver and passengers. In a frontal offset crash, are compression forces channeled along the sides of the car, or do they deform the front footwell? Does the steering column move upward and rearward, or is it designed to maintain its position relative to the front seat in the event of a crash? How much does the roof fold in on itself? The frontal structure of the car should absorb the majority of the crash energy in a frontal impact, so the car doesn’t buckle in on the driver or passengers.
Crash test videos are useful pieces of information for anybody interested in purchasing a car. They eliminate the ratings middlemen and allow consumers a way to more accurately predict the future, and then to choose the safest car for themselves and their families.
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