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Crash test facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
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A 2012 Honda Odyssey during a small-overlap crash test.
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A 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan being hit by a special barrier at 62 km/h.
Honda Fit - Impact Still
A 2016 Honda Fit hitting a wall head-on at 56 km/h.
2017 Honda Ridgeline Crash Test-NHTSA
A 2017 Honda Ridgeline undergoing a driver-side crash test.
Jeep Liberty Rear Impact Test
A Jeep Liberty during impact testing at Chrysler's Proving Grounds.
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A research crash test by NHTSA with two Ford Five Hundred cars.
Active Crew Restraint Demonstration
A full-scale crash test showing different airbag technologies in a helicopter.

A crash test is a special experiment where engineers intentionally crash vehicles or other transport systems. They do this to make sure the designs are safe. These tests help ensure that cars, trucks, and even helicopters can protect people well in an accident. It's all about making sure vehicles are strong and safe when they crash.

Types of Crash Tests

Engineers perform many different kinds of crash tests to check how safe vehicles are in various situations:

  • Frontal-Impact Tests: This is what most people imagine. A vehicle hits a strong wall or another vehicle head-on at a specific speed. These tests are important for all cars, including SUVs.
  • Moderate Overlap Tests: In these tests, only a part of the front of the car hits a barrier or another vehicle. This is important because a smaller part of the car's front has to absorb all the crash energy. Organizations like the U.S.A. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Euro NCAP conduct these.
  • Small Overlap Tests: Here, only a small part of the car's front structure hits an object, like a pole or a tree. This is one of the toughest tests because it puts a lot of force on a small area of the car. These tests usually involve 15–20% of the car's front.
  • Side-Impact Tests: Accidents where a car is hit from the side can be very dangerous. Cars have less space on the sides to absorb the crash energy compared to the front or back. These tests check how well a car protects its passengers in a side crash.
  • Pole-Impact Tests: This is a specific type of side-impact test where the car hits a narrow object like a pole. It puts a lot of force on a small area of the car's side.
  • Roll-Over Tests: These tests check how well a car's roof and the pillars that support it can protect people if the car rolls over. They make sure the roof doesn't crush too much.
  • Roadside Hardware Crash Tests: These tests are not for cars, but for things found on the side of the road. They make sure that crash barriers, guard rails, and sign posts protect vehicle occupants and don't cause more harm in an accident.
  • Old Versus New Tests: Sometimes, an older car is crashed against a newer one, or two different versions of the same car model. This helps show how much car safety has improved over the years.
  • Computer Models: Real crash tests are expensive. So, engineers often use computers to simulate many crashes. This helps them improve car designs before doing actual physical tests.
  • Sled Testing: This is a cheaper way to test specific parts like airbags and seat belts. A vehicle's body (or a part of it) is placed on a sled and quickly accelerated or stopped to simulate a crash. It can also check how well seats protect against whiplash.

Who Conducts Crash Tests?

Fiat 500 Crash Test (Torino Museo Nazionale Automobile )
A 2007 Fiat 500 after an Euro NCAP crash test, displayed in a museum.

Many important organizations around the world perform crash tests to help make vehicles safer. Some of these include:

Name Abbreviation Founded Location
United States New Car Assessment Program US NCAP (U.S. NCAP) 1978 Washington, DC, United States
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety IIHS 1959, first crash test 1969, ratings from 1995 Arlington, VA, United States
Australasian New Car Assessment Program ANCAP 1993 Canberra, Australia
Japan New Car Assessment Programme JNCAP 1995 Tokyo, Japan
European New Car Assessment Programme Euro NCAP 1996 Leuven, Belgium
Korean New Car Assessment Programme KNCAP 1999 Seoul, South Korea
China – New Car Assessment Programme C-NCAP 2006 Tianjin, China
Latin New Car Assessment Programme Latin NCAP 2010 Montevideo, Uruguay
New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asia ASEAN NCAP 2011 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
Global New Car Assessment Programme Global NCAP 2011 London, UK
Taiwan New Car Assessment Program TNCAP 2018, ratings from 2023 Changhua, Taiwan
Green NCAP (operated by Euro NCAP for emissions) Green NCAP 2019 Leuven, Belgium
Bharat New Car Assessment Program Bharat NCAP 2023 Pune, India
  • Auto Review Car Assessment Program (ARCAP)
  • Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC) in Germany
  • National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the United States. They run programs like the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) and the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).

How Data is Collected

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Graphics showing data from a crash test.
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A crash test dummy used in a severe crash test inside a 1997 Geo Metro.

Crash tests are very carefully planned and follow strict safety rules. Each test is expensive, so engineers try to gather as much information as possible. They use special equipment like:

  • High-speed cameras: To record every moment of the crash.
  • Data recorders: To collect information very quickly.
  • Triaxial accelerometers: These are sensors that measure how fast the vehicle or dummy changes speed in three directions.
  • Crash test dummies: These are special human-like models filled with sensors. They help measure what happens to a person's body during a crash.

Companies like Calspan, an independent test lab in New York, perform many of these tests. They work with organizations like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to test vehicle safety standards. Monash University in Australia also conducts crash tests, especially for roadside barriers.

Crash Testing Programs for Consumers

There are several programs around the world that provide information to people about how safe new and used cars are. These programs help you compare different vehicles. Some examples of new car crash test programs include:

Programs like the Used Car Safety Ratings give information on how safe vehicles are based on real-world accident data. In 2020, EuroNCAP introduced a new mobile progressive deformable barrier (MPDB) test. This test was first used on the Toyota Yaris.

Images for kids

  • B11127P029

    A reverse-firing sled with a buck representing a conventional sedan prior to a run

  • CEF1602-05

    Frontal moderate overlap crash test of a 2016 Toyota Tundra

  • CEN1707-10

    Driver-side small overlap crash test of a 2017 Toyota Tacoma

  • CEP1713-07

    Passenger-side small overlap crash test of a 2018 Kia Soul

  • CS16006-31

    Side impact crash test of a 2016 Honda Fit

  • V10132P008

    Side impact crash test of a 2018 Honda Odyssey

  • V07443P002 (1)

    Rollover crash test of a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt SS

  • V05161P017

    Side-impact crash test of a 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 striking a 2004 Honda Accord mid-size sedan

  • V10044P006

    Side pole impact crash test of a 2017 Lexus IS

  • NHTSA Front Crash Test-2006 Honda Ridgeline

    Front full-width crash test of a 2006 Honda Ridgeline

  • V10027P015

    Frontal full-width crash test of a 2017 Cadillac ATS-V

  • V08473P016

    Side impact crash test of a 2014 Scion FR-S

  • V09911P014

    Rear offset impact of a 2015 Ford F-150

  • V09727P441

    Passenger-side oblique crash test of a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu

See also

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Crash test Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.