Car accidents have proven to be an unavoidable menace in Atlanta and elsewhere in the U.S. It is mainly attributed to recklessness, negligence, or ill intentions of other parties. Therefore, people have become a bit concerned about their safety if they are involved in car accidents, especially with the introduction of smart cars. In case of an accident with a smart car, you are highly advised to get an Atlanta car accident attorney for rightful compensation, but will you really be safe?
There are several design features of the smart car that engineers have put in place to assure you that it can handle an accident while still ensuring your safety. These features include:
- A crumple zone
- Tridion steel safety shell
- High-tech airbags, seatbelts, and brakes.
A crumble zone
A crumple zone is a part of the automobile designed to crush or press inside during impact. As a result, it can absorb the impact energy and increase the time for shifting the velocity, thus preventing or minimizing the impact made to the passenger cabin. Smart cars have a designated crumple zone that is at the front rear.
With the engine at the back, the smart car crumple zone ensures that none of the critical parts or passengers is harmed in accidents. Sometimes, the smart car wheels also behave as crumple zones in case of a huge impact.
Tridion steel safety shell
The Tridion shell is a protective casing made of high-strength steel that covers the passenger section of the smart car. The corners of this shell are strategically placed at the critical positions of the vehicle to give maximum protection in case of an accident. This protective steel makes up to 50% of the entire shell of the car.
Like the protective hard shell around a nut, this steel casing receives the impact of the crash and prevents it from reaching the passengers. The shell is also the part that is responsible for activating the crumple zone of the car of the other involved party hence spreads the impact force and reduces its effect on the car.
High-tech airbags, seatbelts, and brakes
The smart car is installed with innovative technologies to deduce and respond to accidents for the safety of the passenger. It has front and side airbags to guarantee that the passenger is wholly protected from physically colliding with the metallic parts or any other substances during a crash.
The car is also fitted with smart seat belts that ensure that the vehicle will not move unless you have your seatbelt on. Therefore, in case of an accident, you are guaranteed protection through the seatbelt. Lastly, the fitting of the anti-lock braking system keeps you in full control of the car, and thus, you are able to minimize the impact by steering to the least vulnerable position.
Even though smart cars have a significantly smaller size compared to standard cars, the designers have spent ample time to make them as secure as possible during a crash. The only downside to this is that it puts them at a disadvantage compared to larger cars since they become subject to larger force during impact.