SAN ANTONIO - In the last 20 years, automakers have dramatically increased the strength of cars for front and rear-end accidents. Crumple-zones and airbags are now standard on all new vehicles sold in the US.
However, despite all of the advances in vehicle safety, side impact crashes account for more than 28 percent of all auto fatalities on American roadways with the majority linked to spine and brain injuries suffered from head impact in the accident.
In the front of the car, the engine, the bumper and hood absorb the impact of the crash. In the rear, the trunk and rear bumper serve the same purpose. Typically, passengers have the least amount of protection on the side of the vehicle, protected only by the steel beams in the door and in the posts.
Responding to the diminishing number of front and rear-end fatalities coupled with the increase in side impact deaths Congress issued new safety guidelines in 2005 giving automakers less than a decade to improve cars in the event of a side impact.
Lawmakers quickly adopted side curtain airbags as one solution to the problem.
The other solution implemented by automakers is the use of newer, high and ultra high strength steel.
Lighter, yet dramatically stronger than conventional steel, ultra high strength steel is already used in most high-end vehicles and imports, but will soon be in every new vehicle.
According to the National Highway transportation Safety Administration, the new regulations will save more than 300 lives and prevent more than 400 brain injuries per year. NHTSA estimates that the new steel and airbags will raise the price of a new car by about $300.
The increased safety comes at a price beyond just dollars.
An unintended consequence of the implementation of the new steel is that the same steel that protects drivers and passengers like never before is also virtually unbreakable, even to emergency workers.
More and more, firefighters are running into places on cars where their tools will not cut or bend the steel.
Hydraulic tool manufactures are racing to stay ahead of the new steel, however, new tool sets can cost upwards of $100,000 and are usually heavier, more bulky than other extraction sets.
The San Antonio Fire Department which owns 21 sets of extraction equipment has only been able to purchase one of the new sets, and according to firefighters there are vehicles that even the new set will not cut through.
As a result of the emergence of the new stronger steels, training has become more important than ever. Fire cadets are shown what to do and where to cut to cut around the high strength steel cage that surrounds the driver and passenger.
This too has created problems.
High voltage lines for hybrids run throughout the vehicle. These lines carry between 100 and 300 volts, enough to kill a firefighter who cuts into them.
Also airbag cylinders that are packed with compressed gas are located throughout the vehicle and will explode if cut.
Firefighters are now instructed to turn off the vehicle, and place it in park to kill the hybrid lines. They are also shown how to peel back the interior skin of the car to reveal the locations of the airbag cylinders since these cylinders can be placed in various locations depending on the make and model of the vehicle.
Despite the time consumed by peeling back the interior and cutting around parts of the car, emergency workers across the board agree that cars are safer than ever before. They say your odds of surviving an accident have never been higher, even if the new safety features make their jobs more difficult.
