SAFETY FEATURES IN PRESENT DAY AUTOMOBILES -A BOON TO HUMAN LIFE ABSTRACT

Driving a car is a high in itself, but safety is important too. Choosing a safer car is very important to help prevent crashes and accidents. By knowing and understanding the various safety features, one can make a wiser purchase. In this paper we give a detailed explanation to the safety features in cars and how each works. This information will help everyone understand better the necessity of safety features in present day cars. Also note that some manufacturers may use other name for features that perform the same function as those described in this paper.

INTRODUCTION
Car safety is the avoidance of car accidents or the minimization of harmful effects of accidents, in particular as pertaining to human life and health. Special safety features have been built into cars for years, some for the safety of car's occupants only, some for the safety of others. Choosing a safer vehicle isn't just a matter of picking the make and model with the longest list of individual safety features. The key to vehicle safety is the overall performance of the vehicle as a whole system, with different features and safety systems working together to help prevent crashes and protect occupants. By understanding the features, systems and standards that contribute to vehicle safety, one can make a more informed choice. Safety features of a car can be classified under two categories: Active safety features Passive safety features

ACTIVE SAFETY FEATURES :

Active safety features can help prevent crashes by providing the driver with better ways of controlling the vehicle and avoiding hazards.

Anti-lock braking systems

The main safety benefit of an anti-lock braking system (ABS) is vehicle stability and steering during hard braking in slippery conditions. With better control of the vehicle, the driver of an ABSequipped vehicle has a better chance of avoiding a crash.

An ABS-equipped vehicle has a computer with sensors that monitor wheel speed and detect when a wheel is about to lock up under hard braking. The computer sends a signal to valves that reduce and reapply brake pressure on that wheel several times a second, allowing the wheel to keep rolling. By preventing wheel lock-up, an ABS lets the driver brake hard and still retain steering control. An ABS is only likely to be activated under emergency conditions. In an emergency, press the brake pedal as quickly and firmly as possible, maintaining pressure until braking is no longer needed. An ABS may also activate during moderate braking on slippery surfaces. The brake pedal may vibrate or there could be a thumping noise - this is normal when the ABS is functioning. Pumping or easing off the brakes, which good drivers normally do to avoid skidding, stops the ABS from working. It's a good idea to do a practical driving course to become familiar with how an ABS works. Many drivers believe an ABS decreases stopping distances, so they drive faster or closer to vehicles in front. While stopping distances do tend to be shorter on wet and slippery roads, an ABS can actually increase the distance it takes to stop on shingle or soft snow. Another misconception is that an ABS can prevent skids on corners. This isn't so if skidding is due to excessive speed. Some drivers may expect the ABS to work automatically, without the brakes being applied, when a vehicle starts to skid, but an ABS works only when the brakes are on.

Traction control
Traction control and Electronic Stability Control systems are typically (but not necessarily) electrohydraulic systems designed to prevent loss of control when excessive throttle or steering is applied by the driver. The intervention can consist of any, or all, of the following: Retard or suppress the spark to one or more cylinders Reduce fuel supply to one or more cylinders Brake one or more wheels Close the throttle, if the vehicle is fitted with drive by wire throttle.

The brake actuator, and the wheel speed sensors, is the same as that used for Anti-lock braking system. Traction Control is usually considered as a performance enhancement, allowing maximum traction under acceleration without wheel spin. It is also extremely useful in countries that suffer from icy or snowy roads: When driving up a slippery hill, giving full gas and letting the car's TCS take care of the throttle control will allow scaling slopes that are nigh-on impossible without TCS.

Handling and stability

A vehicle with good handling and stability is not only a pleasure to drive, it's also safer to drive. The vehicle holds the road and is more responsive to your commands. This is achieved through a combination of the vehicle's steering, suspension, braking, acceleration, body characteristics and weight distribution. Each manufacturer has their own system for improving vehicle stability, road-holding ability and handling performance. It's worth test driving several vehicles to get a better idea of which one best offers you safe, efficient and comprehensive control on the road

Electronic Stability Control

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is the generic term for systems designed to improve a vehicle's handling, particularly at the limits where the driver might lose control of the vehicle. ESC compares the driver's intended direction in steering and braking inputs, to the vehicle's response, via lateral acceleration, rotation (yaw) and individual wheel speeds. ESC then brakes individual front or rear wheels and/or reduces excess engine power as needed to help correct understeer (plowing) or oversteer (fishtailing). ESC also integrates all-speed traction control, which senses drive-wheel slip under acceleration and individually brakes the slipping wheel or wheels, and/or reduces excess engine power, until control is regained. ESC cannot override a car's physical

limits. If a driver pushes the possibilities of the car's chassis and ESC too far, ESC cannot prevent a crash. It is a tool to help the driver maintain control.

Collapsible Steering Column

During a head on crash, the steering column can be pushed into the passenger compartment with tremendous force. At the same time, drivers obey Newtons first law of motion and continue to travel at the same speed of the automobile until something acts on the driver to slow or stop them. Too frequently, it was the steering wheel that caused drivers to stop, sometimes with horrific consequences. In fact, years ago it was not unheard of for drivers to be impaled on the steering shaft. Collapsible steering columns come in a number of designs. Some columns integrate a series of telescoping tubes that collapse when impacted by the driver. Others use break points in the column that will allow the bend more easily. Still others have a special joint near the steering gear that allow the column to snap down during impact.

Active Rollover Protection (ARP)

ARP (Active Rollover Protection) is a system that recognizes impending rollover and applies braking to resist. ARP builds on Electronic Stability Control and its three chassis control systems already on the vehicle - ABS, Traction Control and Yaw Control. ARP adds another function, detection of an impending tip or rollover. Excessive lateral force, which is generated by driving too fast in a corner or turn, may result in a rollover because of the high vehicle center of gravity. ARP automatically responds whenever it detects an unstable condition leading to a potential rollover. ARP rapidly applies the brakes with a high burst of pressure to the appropriate wheels to interrupt the rollover before it occurs.

Active yaw control

Active Yaw Control is an automobile Active Safety feature. It applies the brakes to individual wheels and controls engine power to help correct oversteer and understeer. AYC helps drivers maintain control, especially during cornering and through twists and turns.

Child safety lock

A child safety lock prevents the rear doors from being accidentally opened from inside. A metal latch is provided beneath the rear door locks, which when pushed down, activates the lock. However, the door can still be opened from outside.

HANS device

The HANS device (Head and Neck Support device) is a safety item compulsory in many car racing sports. Primarily made of carbon-fiber, the device is something of a U-shape, the back of the U set behind the back of the neck and the two arms laying flat along the top of the chest over the pectoral muscles; the device in general supported by the shoulders. It is attached only to the helmet and not to the belts, driver's body, or seat by two anchors on either side. The purpose of the device is to stop the head from whipping forward in a crash but to not restrict the movement of the neck; instead, when the body slides forward in a crash, the HANS device stays where it was on the belts with the friction of the rubber surface on its arms, the straps only becoming taunt and coming into effect during the crash. This reduces the chances of head or neck injuries, particularly a basal skull fracture, in the event of a crash.

Hutchens device
The Hutchens device is a device for protecting race car drivers in the event of an accident by controlling head movement, reducing head and neck injuries due to whiplash. It consists of a series of straps, attached to the helmet and connected across the chest and at the waist, depending on the lap belt for anchoring.

Pedestrian Safety Through Vehicle Design

Almost two-thirds of the 1.2 million people killed in road traffic crashes worldwide are pedestrians.

The sequence of events in a car-pedestrian accident Although the pedestrian is impacted twice, first by the car and then by the ground, most of the fatal injuries occur due to the interaction with the car. The vehicle bumper first contacts the lower limbs of the pedestrian, the leading edge of the hood hits the upper thigh or pelvis, and the head and upper torso are struck by the top surface of the hood and/or windshield. Thus in order to protect a pedestrian during a crash the bumper, hood (bonnet), and the windshield have to be redesigned to be energy absorbing (softer) without compromising the structural integrity of the car. The bumper, bonnet and the windshield must be able to absorb most of the energy caused by the impact and protect the pedestrian.

PASSIVE SAFETY FEATURES:

Passive safety features are designed to prevent or minimise injury to the vehicle's occupants in a crash. Some features help absorb crash forces, some restrain occupants from colliding with the vehicle interior, and others prevent objects inside the vehicle from striking the driver or passengers.

Crush zones and safety cages

In frontal, rear and offset crashes, modern vehicles protect occupants by absorbing crash energy and minimising the forces transmitted to the driver and passengers. The front and rear of a vehicle act as crush zones designed to crumple in a controlled and progressive manner, allowing the occupant compartment to stop more gently. Slower deceleration means less force reaches the occupants, so there is less chance of injury. The occupant compartment is a robust safety cage that diverts and dissipates crash energy and preserves the occupants' 'survival space' as much as possible. The safety cage should include strong pillars to stop the roof from collapsing in roll-over crashes, as well as barriers to prevent the wheels, bonnet or engine intruding into the occupant compartment. Door locks and hinges also form part of the safety cage and should remain intact so occupants aren't thrown from the vehicle.

Frontal airbags
A frontal airbag works with a safety belt to protect an occupant in a frontal crash. It's stored in the steering wheel hub or dashboard and inflates very rapidly in a split second after impact. As you move forward in a crash, the airbag provides protection in several ways:

It slows your deceleration by deflating at a controlled rate. This doesn't take long; inflation and deflation occurs faster than you can blink.

It prevents your head and chest from striking the steering wheel, dashboard or top of the windscreen. Compared to a safety belt alone, there's a large surface area to restrain your forward movement, reducing compression of your chest.

Airbags are designed to supplement safety belts, not replace them. Some will deploy only in crashes severe enough to threaten safety-belted occupants. Frontal airbags are of limited benefit in side impact, rear impact or roll-over crashes, or in crashes where there is more than one collision. A safety belt can protect you in all of these crashes. Anyone in an airbag-equipped vehicle must still wear a safety belt for their own protection. There are different size airbags for different conditions. Driver's airbags in European cars are usually about 3045 litres, while US models may be up to 70 litres. Passenger airbags are typically much bigger. Airbags can't be added to a vehicle like some other equipment. They must be designed to work in conjunction with the safety system of a specific vehicle model. An airbag won't block the driver's vision in a crash it inflates and deflates in about one tenth of a second. Nor are airbags like soft pillows to provide protection in a crash they must inflate incredibly quickly, which means the front of an airbag will deploy towards you at between 160 to 320 km/h. Because of this deployment speed, there is the potential of injury from an airbag. New types of airbag deploy less aggressively and airbags under development detect the size and position of occupants or account for different crash speeds and adjust airbag deployment accordingly. There are several simple ways to avoid the risk of injury from an airbag:

The passengers should always wear a safety belt. The driver should not sit too close to the steering wheel (don't slide the seat a long way forward). Shorter drivers should sit back from the steering wheel, but in a position that still gives them full control of the vehicle.

Nothing should be rested over the airbag cover, nor should anything be placed between the passenger and the airbag (except a safety belt).

Despite some risks, airbags are passive safety features that have reduced the injuries and saved the lives of thousands of people in serious crashes.

Safety belts
Three-point lap-and-shoulder safety belts are the best means of protection in almost all types of crash. Wearing a safety belt can halve the risk of being injured or killed in a crash. Safety belts offer protection in three key ways : Three point safety belt

1. They prevent or minimise the 'second impact' in a crash your impact against the vehicle interior and other passengers. It is this second impact that causes injuries and fatalities. 2. They stop you from being thrown from the vehicle. 3. They help absorb your inertia energy, allowing you to slow at a rate similar to the compartment Ideally, three-point lap-and-shoulder safety belts should be installed in every seating position in a vehicle, but this is not always possible in the centre rear seat of some cars. While wearing a twopoint lap safety belt is much better than wearing no restraint, it won't provide the same protection as a three-point safety belt.Safety belts should fit the wearer's body without any slack. The safety belt retractor usually makes this adjustment automatically and locks the safety belt in place if there's sudden movement. Adjustable safety belt anchorages allow the shoulder sash to be moved higher or lower so that the safety belt can be worn more comfortably and safely. Although safety belts can't stop forward movement completely, new technology designed as part of vehicles' frontal impact protection systems can further improve their effectiveness in restraining the person.

Webbing clamps grab the safety belt webbing to prevent more of the safety belt reeling out as it tightens on the spool in a crash. Pretensioners use a spring, compressed gas or small explosive charge that activates on impact to pull the safety belt tight before you start to move. Unloaders allow the safety belt to slacken in a controlled way so you can slow progressively while still being safely restrained.

Safety belt design and technology must be integrated into a vehicle's overall occupant protection system to be effective. The safety belt system is part of the frontal-impact occupant protection standard.

Seats

A seat should be comfortable, but also sturdy enough to withstand a lot of force and protect you in a crash. Most new cars have front 'anti-submarining' seats, designed to stop you slipping under the lap section of the safety belt and suffering abdominal injuries in a crash.The seat back is often the only thing between you and other passengers and objects in a crash, so most new vehicles have seats built to comply with an international strength and safety standard. Some new vehicles have seats with deformable crossbars and padding to absorb crash energy. Many also provide an element of side impact protection.

Side impact protection

Side impact crashes can be particularly dangerous because there is no room for large crush zones to protect you from crash forces. The door can be smashed into you or your head may be struck, causing potentially fatal injuries. To minimise this danger, most new cars have sturdy side intrusion beams, cells, bars or other protection within the door structure. This provides a solid barrier, while the safety cage helps divert forces away from you. Most vehicles also have padding on the inside door panels. This padding should be effective at absorbing impact energy, not just cosmetic. Some vehicles have crushable structures in the doors to further absorb energy. An increasing number of manufacturers install side airbags in some models. The side airbags deploy from the seat, the roof, the door or a pillar and protect your head and upper body. They must deploy faster than airbags designed for frontal impact protection, as forces will reach you sooner in a side-on crash. Although side airbags are currently uncommon, the significant protection they offer to your head, chest, abdomen and pelvis in a side-on crash makes a car equipped with this technology worth considering.

Head restraints
Head restraint position is critical for preventing whiplash in rear impact crashes. Whiplash is caused by the head extending backward from the torso in the initial stage of rear impact, then being thrown forward. To prevent whiplash, the head restraint should be at least as high as the head's centre of gravity (eye level and higher) and as close to the back of your head as possible. Fixed head restraints may be safer because they don't depend on you adjusting them to the correct position. The safest adjustable head restraints offer protection to most drivers even at their lowest setting, can be tilted forward, and lock into place when adjusted.A new development is a head restraint that moves forward and up if a pressure plate in the seat is pushed back by the torso in a crash. Other vehicles position the head restraint automatically when the seat is adjusted by different sized people.

Load restraint

It's important to consider load restraints if the vehicle you're buying is likely to be heavily laden with parcels, equipment or baggage. Even a small object left on the parcel tray behind the back seat can become a dangerous projectile in a crash. The vehicle boot should have tie-down hooks or eyes so heavy objects can be secured with rope. Ratchet-tensioned straps can also provide excellent load restraint. Station wagons may have a luggage cover or net, which can offer reasonable load restraint provided the material can be securely fastened and doesn't stretch too much.

Fire safety
Fire prevention and protection is an important factor in vehicle safety. The fuel tank and pipe connections should be designed and positioned to minimise any likely damage in a crash. An excess flow valve in a fuel injection system can prevent the fuel pressure pump discharging petrol if there's a rupture 'downstream' from the fuel tank. Some vehicles automatically shut off fuel flow in a crash. In the occupant compartment, flame resistant materials slow the spread of a fire.

CONCLUSION:
The present day automobiles posses advanced engines and are capable of reaching very high speeds. With these advancements in automotive industry, safety too has become an indispensable criterion in vehicle design. Therefore, the designers must give importance to advanced safety features and implement them in their designs.

REFERENCES:
[1] Intelligent Vehicle Technologies by Ljubo Vlacic, Michel Parent, Fumio. [2] www.ltsa.govt.nz/factsheets [3] www.compareindia.com/tips/car-safety-features [4] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_safety [5] www.nhtsa.gov/us/drivesafe.html