A safe bet: fueled by the consumer's love affair with crash test rating, the auto industry's on-going, fervent development of safety technologies is a sure thing

Automotive Industries,  March, 2004  by Carla Kalogeridis

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By 2006, all European car companies must meet a standard that addresses pedestrian impact protection. Autoliv's new Active Hood raises instantly when a pedestrian is hit, thereby making the pedestrian's head contact a deformable and flexible surface instead of a hard and rigid one.

A sensor system placed in the vehicle's front bumper sends a signal to two steel bellows, which lift the rear part of the hood, The sensor is so accurate that it can differentiate between a lamp post and a human leg. In addition. Autoliv has further enhanced the system by adding a pair of energy-absorbing airbags, one at each windshield pillar. Autoliv has two product vehicle contracts in Europe for this system.

TRW says it has a similar pedestrian protection hood-liking system under development at its Occupant Safety technical center in Alfdorf, Germany, where the company has made significant investment in a new crash testing center.--CK

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