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Making Cars Safer

Chrysler Group leads charge in automobile safety

Safety is key on almost every new-car buyer's list today. Why has it been elevated? Simple. In 2004 there were 42,636 traffic fatalities in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That's more than twice the seating capacity of Madison Square Garden when the Knicks take center court.

Car buyers want to keep themselves and their families safe on the road, so they are demanding increased safety in their cars. Responding to this call, select automakers have committed vast resources to developing new technologies that will make new vehicles safer. Emerging as a leader in the safety realm of mainstream automobiles is the Chrysler Group, now offering for the average consumer nearly a dozen five-star crash rated vehicles like the Chrysler 300, Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee. This trendsetting trio of nameplates incorporates virtually all of today's leading safety technologies. Following the philosophy that first-rate safety equipment should not be reserved for more expensive luxury-class vehicles, the Chrysler Group has become a leader in offering cutting-edge safety technology at all price levels.

Active and Passive Safety

Decades ago, engineers relied solely on seatbelts to reduce injuries and death in motor-vehicle accidents. Seatbelts are still the single most effective safety technology in a vehicle. However, automakers are focusing now more than ever on active safety—technology designed to actually help avoid accidents or minimize the energy created from impact. Examples of active safety include a slew of acronyms like ABS, ESP and ERM.

On the other side is passive safety—technologies designed to minimize injuries if an accident cannot be avoided. These technologies include seatbelts, airbags, crumple zones, bumpers, and the like. We'll talk more about these later.

While automakers like Chrysler incorporate a long list of safety technologies on every vehicle, here we'll talk about the highlights that truly set today's automobiles apart from the less-than-safe cruisers of old.

Active Safety Technologies

Anti-Lock Brake System: The function of the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) is not nearly a mystery as it is a benefit. Clearly ABS stops brakes from locking up, but why does that matter? The answer to this question is simple: Without ABS, brakes will lock up in an emergency-braking situation. When this happens, the wheels stop turning, forcing the tires to lose grip with the road. The results are a loss of driver control, and increased stopping distances.

By monitoring wheel spin and regulating brake pressure, ABS is able to prevent brakes from locking up in an emergency braking situation. Once a sensor determines that a wheel has stopped spinning due to extreme braking forces, ABS fluctuates brake pressure to make sure the wheels keep moving, providing maximum braking power yet allowing the driver to steer and control the vehicle.

There are two variants of ABS: One system senses wheel lock-up and pulses the brake pressure to all four wheels. Advanced ABS, found on most Chrysler Group models, modulates brake pressure individually at each tire, providing the maximum possible braking pressure while maintaining vehicle control. The Chrysler Group now offers ABS on all Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles.

Brake Assist: Further improving stopping time, Brake Assist immediately detects an emergency brake situation and applies maximum brake pressure on your behalf without causing brake lock up. Research showed that drivers in emergency braking situations would not consistently apply the maximum possible. Brake Assist does this for the driver. Brake Assist is always coupled with advanced ABS, yielding dramatically reduced braking distances.

Traction Control System: Another tried-and-true stability control, Traction Control System (TCS) ensures wheels maintain grip during acceleration. To accomplish this task, sensors monitor the wheels to detect acceleration-related tire slip. In the event that tire slip is detected, the system applies the brakes on the affected wheel to regain traction. All-Speed Traction Control ups the ante with the ability to modulate power to the wheels when needed to control spin. The result is increased stability, especially on slippery surfaces. Chrysler Group now offers TCS on nearly all its cars, minivans and SUVs.

Electronic Stability Program: Electronic Stability Program (ESP) offers drivers tremendous advantages in vehicle control. That's why the Chrysler Group has made this relatively new technology standard on all SUVs and available on a variety of models for 2006.

By monitoring steering input compared to actual vehicle path, ESP strategically controls throttle and/or brake power to individual wheels to maintain directional stability. This system is especially valuable on low-traction surfaces such as snow, ice and gravel.

Electronic Roll Mitigation: Chrysler employs Electronic Roll Mitigation (ERM) on several SUVs to maximize vehicle control in emergency situations. Working in concert with ESP, ERM anticipates potential roll situations and applies a burst of full braking power to the appropriate wheel to help stabilize the vehicle and reduce the lateral force. The customer benefit is enhanced vehicle stability during emergency maneuvers on all surfaces.

Passive Safety Technologies

Advanced Multi-Stage Airbag System: Although front airbags have been legally required on all vehicles for both driver and passenger seating positions since the mid-1990s, the auto industry continues to refine this restraint device.

The purpose of airbags, including front, side curtain, torso and knee, is to inflate in an accident, creating a soft barrier, which in turn prevents the passenger from colliding with interior components. Inflation of airbags is executed by a small explosive charge, the detonation of which results in near-instantaneous deployment.

New multi-stage airbag systems are used in today's new cars and trucks. Most auto manufacturers use Occupant Classification System (OCS) to classify the severity of an impact event and use additional sensor information to further modify front-passenger airbag output based on occupant size and weight. The resulting deployment could be low, medium or high output, or—in certain instances—none at all. The Chrysler Group worked closely with suppliers to develop low-risk deployment front-passenger airbags as an alternative to Occupant Classification System (OCS) to meet NHTSA requirements. Low-risk deployment front-passenger airbags use unique shapes—venting, folding patterns, advanced inflators or a combination of these four technologies—to position and inflate the restraint properly for a belted passenger.

Both OCS and low-risk deployment airbags meet federal safety requirements and Chrysler Group's internal requirements for out-of-position, small occupants and rear-facing infant seats. Even with these advanced systems designed to meet or exceed government requirements, all occupants are advised to always sit properly in their seats with their seatbelts fastened. Children 12-years-old and under should always be seated correctly in a back seat using an infant or child restraint system with the seat belt positioned appropriately for the child's age and weight.

Inflatable Knee Blocker: Deploying along with the front airbag, the inflatable knee blocker helps keep the driver in the best possible position in a front-end collision.

Torso Airbags: Tucked into the B-pillar or outside of the driver and passenger seats, side airbags assist in minimizing injuries in side-impact accidents.

Supplemental Side-Curtain Airbags: Unlike traditional torso airbags, which are usually located in the front and provide only main body protection, supplemental side-curtain airbags provide head and body protection. In vehicles that it offers side-curtain airbags, Chrysler Group offers protection for passengers in all rows in the event of a side-impact accident. These airbags deploy from the outer edge of the headliner in the roof. Independent sensors trigger the appropriate airbags, which deploy downward to protect all outboard occupants.

Seatbelt Pretensioners: Seatbelts are still the first line of defense in passive safety technology, yet even this trustworthy device has evolved a bit over the last few years. Seatbelt pretensioners, now standard on all Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles, are designed to immediately remove any slack in a seatbelt during a collision. The result is that the passenger is better held in his seat and is less likely to suffer an injury-causing encounter with cabin elements.

Constant Force Retractors: Complementing the benefits of seatbelt pretensioners, constant force retractors evenly distribute the force exerted on a seatbelt in a collision and then gradually release the belt tension to minimize injury.

The Future of Safety

The safety components listed here are breaking new ground in the quest for total safety in automobiles. Manufacturers like the Chrysler Group are going far beyond government regulations and consumer demand to improve passenger safety. New intelligent systems are now being implemented like SmartBeam headlamps, which automatically provide maximum headlight intensity for road and traffic conditions to improve nighttime vision, and auto-reverse sunroof and windows that open when objects block their path.

Further down the road we'll see technologies Chrysler Group engineers are working on now, like blind-spot detection and infrared assisted night vision. Also bound to change the face of vehicle safety is the Vehicle-Infrastructure Integration Initiative, a program that has Chrysler Group researchers working with U.S. government officials to create a fully integrated highway communications system that will revolutionize the way we drive by allowing cars to talk to each other and the roadway for real-time updates on emergency situations. With more and more cars on U.S. roads, advanced systems like these are sure to help us get where we're going safer than ever before.