Rescue and Extrication
Car safety has traditionally looked at crash protection: how well a vehicle protects its occupants during an impact by means of crumple zones, restraint systems and airbags, for example. More recently, and with the advent of advanced driver assistance technologies, crash avoidance has become a very important part of safety, with systems helping the driver to stay in lane, to maintain the appropriate speed and even to intervene and brake if the driver has not done so in time. However, post-crash safety plays a critical role in crash survival: how quickly the emergency services can locate the accident and administer medical assistance to those injured.
post-crash safety is critical to how quickly the emergency services can locate the accident and administer medical assistance
Euro NCAP has, from its beginning, inspected cars after they have been crash-tested. As part of that inspection, door-opening forces are measured; doors which auto-lock are checked to see that the lock has released; forces needed to unlatch seatbelts are measured. These all form part of the assessment of post-crash safety.
Car safety has improved massively over the last 20 years or so. This has been achieved through improved structural integrity, leading to much less collapse of the passenger compartment and intrusion of the steering wheel and dashboard, and by the greater use of restraint systems such as airbags. As a result, occupant entrapment is less common than it used to be. However, where it does happen, extrication can be more difficult than it was. The use of high-strength steels requires specialised cutting equipment and the more widespread use of airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners poses a hazard both to those trapped in the vehicle and to those trying to free them. Euro NCAP rewards those vehicles for which a ‘rescue sheet’ is made available by the manufacturer. This sheet is readily available to first responders and identifies potential hazards such as the location of airbags, pre-tensioners and critical wiring, as well as the best places to cut open the structure. Time saved in freeing the occupants is critical to their chances of survival.
Euro NCAP rewards those
vehicles for which a
‘rescue sheet’ is made available
by the manufacturer
Additional points can be scored by vehicles equipped with eCall and/or multi-collision braking. eCall is a system which automatically detects when an accident has occurred, and which alerts the emergency services. Simple systems provide information only about the accident location, to allow first-responders to locate the site quickly, while more sophisticated systems may also provide information about the type and severity of the impact. Multi-collision braking systems prevent secondary impacts, normally by applying the brakes in the event of a collision, to stop the car from colliding with other vehicles or with roadside hazards.
Vehicle submergence (vehicle entering a body of water or being surrounded by rising flood water for example) is, thankfully, a relatively rare occurrence in most European countries. However, when it does occur the outcome for the occupants is often very serious. Therefore, Euro NCAP has introduced some simple requirements to ensure that, in the event of submergence, side windows can still be operated and side doors can still be opened for long enough to allow the occupants to exit the vehicle.
Introduced in 2020. Upgraded in 2023.