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Autoliv Technology Contributes to Record Safety Ratings

17 August 1999

Autoliv Technology Contributes to Record Safety Ratings

    AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Aug. 17 -- The effectiveness of
Autoliv's Inflatable Curtain (IC), as part of a total side-impact protection
system, was underscored in recent testing conducted under the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration's SINCAP (side impact) ratings program.  A
curtain-equipped Volvo S-80 is the first passenger car ever to receive NHTSA's
highest ratings (five stars driver and five stars passenger) for side-impact
protection.
    Autoliv's Inflatable Curtain is a patented, one-piece woven airbag with
air chambers positioned at critical points along its length.  The special
design prevents the occupant's head from hitting the intruding side of the
vehicle.  In addition, by effectively blocking window openings, the fully
deployed IC can also help prevent partial or full occupant ejection while
minimizing intrusion of crash debris.
    The importance of this new safety product is highlighted by NHTSA
statistics on side impact crashes.  In the United States alone,
10,000 fatalities annually are due to side impacts, with 45% of those deaths
the result of head injuries. Lab tests conducted at 20 MPH (32 km/h) with
vehicles striking a pole show that the Autoliv Inflatable Curtain reduced the
critical values (Head Injury Criterion, HIC) by 95%.
    While introduced first on the 1999 Volvo S80, the Autoliv Inflatable
Curtain is also currently available on the Mercedes E and S Classes, the Audi
A6 and A8, and the Toyota Progres and Avensis. Several U.S. produced vehicles
will soon be available with the Inflatable Curtain.
    Another important feature of the IC is the ability to stay inflated for
several seconds.  This extended inflation period, when coupled with vehicles
equipped with a rollover sensor, will allow the Inflatable Curtain to be used
to prevent an occupant from being ejected out of their car or striking their
head against the road surface in a partial ejection.
    The rate of incoming orders for Inflatable Curtains indicates that this
device will have the fastest market penetration of any of Autoliv's many
safety innovations. The company pioneered major developments in seat belts in
the 1950's, frontal airbags in the 1980's, and side airbags for chest and head
protection in the early 1990's.