How safe are convertibles?
Everyone loves driving with the windows down on a sunny day with the wind rushing through their hair. Some love the feeling so much that they don't stop at just winding windows down - they buy a convertible in order to be able to drive with the whole roof down, even if car insurance does cost a bit more.
For many years people have warned convertible owners about the dangers of their car, citing third-hand examples of terrible head injuries and passengers flying out of their seats in rollover accidents.
In fact, convertibles were even almost banned in America in the 1960s as a result of safety concerns.
So how much danger does a rollover accident actually pose to those who choose to drive cars with the top down?
Well, overturning in any kind of car is a dangerous business. According to statistics, around 20% of fatal car accidents are
crashes in which a vehicle has overturned. However, a low percentage, thought to be less than 5%, of all car accidents involve
overturning. This means that rollover accidents account for a much greater proportion of fatalities than they should do.
When a car overturns, the biggest danger is that occupants may come out of their seats, which is especially likely if they are not wearing a seatbelt. Many new cars have padded roofs that offer a decent level of protection for passengers that leave their seats in the accident.
If a convertible overturns and an occupant comes out of their seat, there is not a lot to stop them being ejected from the car at speed. When this happens, the chances are that the person will suffer very serious injuries.
In some convertibles, the occupants are the second tallest objects in the car after the windscreen and A-pillars. If the car overturns on an incline or the A-pillars are damaged by the accident, there is little to protect the occupants from suffering extremely severe head injuries.
However, car manufacturers have been working hard to reduce the potential danger of convertibles. There is a range of ways in which this can be achieved, one of which is by reducing the likelihood that occupants will leave their seats, whilst another is by improving protection for occupants who do not leave their seats.
BMW, Citroen and Saab have all developed new technology for their new convertibles that is designed to reduce serious injuries in rollover accidents.
BMW employs a hidden rollover safety system in its 325Ci that includes high-strength bars that spring up in less than 110 milliseconds if the vehicle overturns. It also has a strengthened windscreen surround that is less likely to buckle under pressure in an accident.
Additionally, seatbelts are built into the front seats, whilst there are belt-force limiters and pre-tensioners on all of the seatbelts.
Citroen has taken a slightly different approach in its C3 Pluriel. The structure is very well reinforced, with roof arches, windscreen pillars and rear seats all being given extra strength so that the car is less likely to crumple in the event of a rollover. The head restraints also have integral rollover bars that work together with reinforced seats to provide a virtually crush-resistant area.
The C3 also has height-adjustable seat belts in the front and have inbuilt pyrotechnic force limiters and pre-tensioners. In the back, the centre seatbelt is built into the seat, improving safety for the person sitting in the middle.
Saab also uses a pop-up protection system in its 9-3 convertible, similar to that which is used by BMW. The safety system as a whole is known as the DynaCage and when a heavy impact is sustained or the sensors on the car detect that it may roll over, bars built into the seats pop up behind the head restraints. It also has a reinforced windscreen frame, sills and A-pillars for a strong body structure.
In the front, the 9-3 has inbuilt seatbelts with pre-tensioners and in the back, three-point seatbelts provide good protection against occupants leaving their seats.
So is travelling in a convertible nowadays as dangerous as many people think? Well, not according to Euro NCAP, which has given its highest safety rating in the supermini class to the Citroen C3 Pluriel convertible.
As such, it is clear that convertibles have cleaned up their act in regard to occupant protection in rollover accidents and high tech systems are now employed to reduce the chance of passengers suffering injuries.
Corrine Aldous from duck2water Car Insurance Services, the expert cheap car insurance providers, commented on convertible safety, saying:
"Crashing in any car can cause serious injury, whether it is a convertible or not. Although we support drivers enjoying the summer in their open top cars, we would remind them to do so with care."
Author details:
Alexandra Gubbins
duck2water Car Insurance Services are experts in cheap car insurance and can provide fast, free quotes in a matter of seconds, just go to http://www.duck2watercarinsurance.co.uk or call 0333 123 1308.