Passive safety - a combination of structural and operational properties of a car aimed at reducing the severity of a traffic accident. Most passive safety systems are triggered during a collision when active safety systems could not help the driver prevent or avoid a collision. Includes the following elements:
- high strength cage;
- energy-absorbing elements of the front and rear parts of the car body, wrinkling upon impact (embedded deformation zones or soft body bumpers );
- seat belts , including inertia with pretensioners;
- inflatable airbags , including those integrated in seat belts;
- folding steering column;
- safety pedal assembly - in case of a collision, the pedals are separated from the attachment points and reduce the risk of damage to the driver's legs;
- crumpled or soft interior elements;
- active head restraints that protect against serious injuries to the crew’s neck when hitting a car from behind;
- safety glass - tempered, which, when destroyed, fall apart into many non-sharp fragments and triplex ;
- safety arches, reinforced front roof pillars and the upper frame of the windshield in roadsters and convertibles ;
- cross bars in the doors, etc .;
- protection against penetration of the engine and other units into the cabin (their removal under the bottom).
- Emergency warning systems ( e.g. Era-Glonass)
In racing cars, in addition to these devices, there are:
- fireproof racer costume;
- multi-point seat belts with quick release system;
- developed safety cage that does not deform even when the car randomly tumbles; Halo (in single-seaters);
- neck and head protection system , reducing the load on the base of the skull in a head-on collision;
- tethered wheels that reduce the risk of a wheel falling into an outsider;
- systems that reduce the likelihood and severity of fuel fires, an integrated fire extinguishing system.
For the first time, passive safety as one of the principles of car design was introduced by Bela Bareni .
See also
- Active car safety
- Road safety