This lifesaving technology offers unprecedented protection
The crash test in this vieo is happening at just 29km/h. And without the precise, head-protecting airbag choreography, even slow crashes like this one are killers.
To emphasise this point: if you hit a pole, sideways, at 29km/h or more, and if your car lacks side curtain airbags (or head protecting side airbags built into the seat) - you will probably die.
Impacts with large animals are seldom survivable - for the vehicle and the animalShould you swerve at high speed and risk losing control or head-on collision, or brake hard and risk hitting the animal and damaging the car? It’s worthwhile planning your response before being confronted with these unpalatable options face-to-face.
Volvo's Lotta Jakobsson says Australian laws allow children to face forwards far too earlyNew child-restraint laws are being enacted across Australia right now, placing a hefty burden of additional responsibility on parents. Babies up to six months must ride in rear-facing baby capsules, while children from six months to four years must be secured in an approved child restraint, and from four years to seven kids must ride in an approved booster seat.
The new rules are a step forward for child safety in Australia. Some lives will be saved. But how far forward have the new rules taken us? Experts overseas claim Aussie kids remain second-class citizens
etrol and static electricity don’t mix. Here’s how to keep them apart
Find out how NOT to make a Molotov of yourself at the fuel pumpStatic electricity is the commonest cause of service station fires. This is not because motorists are closet pyromaniacs - it's because many are unwittingly stupid. Most of us underestimate the wickedly destructive potential flowing from the massive amounts of energy locked into conventional liquid fuels
How to keep yourself safe in a car full of explosive airbags
Airbags explode towards you at 300km/h to soften the blow of a serious car crash. They have to deploy that fast to get into position ahead of the crash ‘pulse’ catching up with you.
To see why airbags (and seatbelts) are a really good idea, watch the comparison crash video below (two otherwise identical cars; one with and one without a front airbag).