Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research or MIROS has revealed at a press conference

The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research or MIROS has revealed at a press conference today the results of the outdoor crash test that was conducted last week at the Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology (MIAT) in Dengkil.

Just to recap, the objective of the test was to ascertain the effectiveness and level of damage sustained by the energy absorbing underrun installed at the back of a commercial vehicle, to analyze the safety levels involving a child seated in a child safety seat compared to a child wearing just the rear seat belt as well as to analyze the degree and type of casualties sustained by occupants of a vehicle involved with a rear-end collision against a stationary vehicle.

A self-developed propulsion system was used to get the Alza up to speed and the impact target was a 6-tonne stationary trailer. The Alza was occupied by five crash test dummies including two Hybrid III dummies fully equipped with various sensors, one non-instrumentation Hybrid III dummy, one P3 dummy with nominal instrumentation and a child dummy which simulates a 3-month old child. From these five dummies, one was an older child dummy that was secured properly on a child seat while the 3-month old child was held by an adult dummy.

According to MIROS, one of the reason why they decided to conduct the test at 30 km/h was because the runway wasn’t long enough. The institute would be able to conduct tests at higher speeds in its facility that is being built in Malacca. This facility is scheduled to be operational by June.

Below are the findings obtained by the analysts at MIROS:

• The underrun was able to prevent the Alza from being pinned underneath the trailer 
• There were no visible signs of injury to the properly secured child. In contrast, the 3-month baby in the hands of the adult was thrown forward hitting the back of the driver’s seat.
• The frontal airbags on the Alza cushioned the impact to the driver and front passenger. The test revealed that the front occupants were subjected to a violent head acceleration equivalent to 50G. This is within the safe tolerance of 80G.
• There was no variable contact recorded at the knee of the driver and front 
• There was no breakage of the Alza’s dashboard.

As mentioned earlier UNECE 58-specified underruns will be made compulsory for commercial vehicles by October this year and the enforcement will be done by the Road Transport Department (RTD). This is definitely good news as long as there is proper implementation. Continue reading to view some new videos of the crash test.

Source: www.miros.gov.my

GM recalling 1.3 million vehicles

General Motors is issuing a vehicle defect recall for 1.3 million Chevy and Pontiac compact cars to fix a problem with the power steering motors that can fail. According to an Associated Press news report, this recall affects 2005 to 2010 Chevy Cobalts, 2007 to 2010 Pontiac G5s, 2005 and 2006 Pontiac Pursuits (sold in Canada) and 2005 and 2006 Pontiac G4s sold in Mexico. General Motors officials say the recalled vehicles are still "safe to drive" and never lose their steering, but that they may be harder to steer while traveling under 15 mph.

Defective Auto Parts

Car owners will be notified when parts are available to make the fix. It will take the auto maker some time to get 1.3 million new power steering motors from their supplier. Drivers will see a warning light and hear a chime if the power steering fails, but they could be surprised when the steering becomes more difficult. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been informed about this product safety recall. The federal auto safety agency began its investigation into 905,000 of the GM car models after 1,100 consumers complained that the cars lost their power steering assist. The complaints included 14 car accidents and one injury.

One in Many Auto Recalls

After Toyota's high-profile recall involving 8.5 million vehicles for sudden acceleration and brake problems, other auto makers are now realizing the importance of issuing timely auto product defect recalls. Steering problems can be deadly. This one has already caused several crashes and at least one injury. Of course, we do not know how many incidents have not been reported.

GM Called it "Minor Problem"

It is interesting to note that GM knew about these problems last year and at the time, dismissed it as a minor issue. You can read about it in our previous blog post, "General Motors Dismisses Steering Defect as Minor Issue" . Now, with the problems Toyota is facing, GM finds it a more prudent move to go ahead and issue the recall and fix the product defects.

For decades, the auto products liability firm of BISNAR | CHASE has been fighting GM and other auto makers and holding them accountable for the defective products they put on the market. Steering control is very important in a vehicle. When your steering locks up or does not function correctly, you lose control of your vehicle, which could potentially lead to a crash. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of these product defects, please contact a reputed personal injury lawyer who has successfully handled auto product liability cases against large auto makers such as GM.