In the current EuroNCAP crash test, two important cars did not achieve a top result: Peugeot 308 and Opel Astra, two closely related compact cars from the Stellantis group. But the result is better than it seems: the missing star was only not awarded because of the lower level of assistance systems.
“The occupant safety for adults, on the other hand, is at a good level, even if not quite as high as with the other test candidates,” puts ÖAMTC vehicle safety expert Max Lang into perspective. Strongly expandable: The protection for pedestrians and cyclists, but this also applies to the majority of the other vehicles in the current test (Kia EV6, Mercedes C-Class, Volvo C40 Recharge and VW Multivan). After all, child safety is very high in all cars, and the Astra and 308 are no exception in this regard. The C-Class from Mercedes is a positive example of protecting vulnerable road users: sensors detect a collision with a pedestrian and lift the hood at the same time. This can significantly reduce the impact and thus the severity of the injury. “In addition, the C-Class, just like the other cars in the test, has an automatic emergency brake assistant that can avoid a collision in almost all situations,” notes the expert. “Most of the sensors only have problems when turning – apart from the Volvo C40, whose assistant also masters this situation.” Regardless of sensors and assistance systems that are intended to prevent accidents, certain vehicle structures, above all the A-pillars, are and will remain the largest Danger for pedestrians and cyclists. “Although improvements have been made here in recent years, there is still room for improvement in the design of the cars,” Lang clarifies. “Because the technology is not yet advanced enough that you should always and everywhere rely on the function of driving assistants.” Driving assistants play a major role in accident prevention “First of all, it should be noted that all six vehicles in the test are equipped with similar systems. These include belt reminders for all seats, speed and lane assistants, which also work equally well in all models. The biggest differences are in the automatic braking systems, which are supposed to react to other cars,” says Lang. In short: in the vehicles that achieved five stars in the test, the emergency brake assistants react reliably in all scenarios tested. This still works very well for the two cars with four stars – but not quite as reliably, so that there is room for improvement here criteria made a leap forward. This can be seen most clearly in the equipment with driving assistants, which are increasingly becoming part of the standard equipment. And now the systems are not only reducing the severity of accidents, but are increasingly preventing a crash from occurring in the first place.”
source site-13