Crash Safety Abroad Accidents Happen Everywhere

No matter where you live, no mater whether you drive, walk or ride to get around, crash safety should be an important issue for you and your family.·Crash Safety in Europe in General:.Crash safety testing occurs with a much lower number of vehicles in Europe every year than in the United States. However, FIA crash safety tests are conducted on the majority of the most popular European cars?these tests are performed from the European NCAP.In Europe, pedestrians and bicyclists are in much more danger if there is a crash.

However, from what I have observed, drivers in Europe in general are much better drivers, they are safer and more cautious than American drivers. And there are so many pedestrians and bicyclists in Europe that it makes crashes even more dangerous.On the other hand, Europe sells much smaller cars, they do not have a gigantic portion of the population that feels as if they need the extra protection that a super-sized automobile provides (for the people IN the car, that is?but huge automobiles are incredibly bad news for pedestrians). A car can be tested for how much damage that impact at a certain speed will cause.

Therefore it measures the impact only to the driver and passengers inside. The human body is much more fragile when unprotected by a shield of metal and glass automobile?so is a bicycle.·In Germany:.Despite the wonderful autobahns, which are highways with no speed limit, there are only a fraction of accidents in Germany (and in Europe in general), than the amount of accidents that we have here in America.I', going to go out on a limb here, but I really do believe that European drivers and pedestrians pay more attention on the roads, have less road rage by a long shot and are much more aware of the importance of crash safety.

If only America could try a little harder.Strangely enough, the Auto Motor and Support magazine in Germany sponsors crash tests for crash safety only on a very small portion of European cars, however only magazine subscribers are allowed to see the information.·In Australia:.In Australia the NRMA tests for automobile crash safety and has recently adopted the Euro-NCAP crash safety testing methods. These are procedures that were once recognized as crash safety-testing methods used by the NHTSA.

·In Japan:.The (OSA) National Organization for Automotive Safety and Victims' Aid sponsors crash safety tests on the most popular Japanese vehicles today.They conduct very thorough crash tests for full-frontal, frontal offset, and side impact collisions.These are the kinds of safety precautions that can do people much good as far as avoiding death or serious injury in a crash is concerned. But the best way to try to avoid injury or death is to avoid crashing in the first place.Everyone should be as safe as possible on the roads, especially as a driver, but pedestrians and bicyclists too.

Unfortunately, some people (especially in America) are reckless, rushed, and sometimes filled with road rage when driving. It does not cross their minds that they may be the cause of a traumatic, devastating, or even fatal collision. Please consider these things behind the wheel. For your own crash safety and the safety of others.

By: Anne Clarke