Soft, inward-folding car bonnet could save lives, cut head trauma ‘by 60 pc’
By ANITuesday, February 15, 2011
LONDON - Scientists at Cellbond in collaboration with Ruskin University in Cambridge have designed a ‘pedestrian friendly bonnet’ that folds inward on impact.
They claim it could save thousands of lives and reduce head trauma by 60 per cent for those hit by cars.
“During an impact the pedestrian exerts a dynamic force on the car bonnet. If the kinetic energy of the impact is not absorbed the bonnet will exert equal amount of the force that impacts it, causing injury,” the Daily Mail quoted Professor Hassan Shirvani, of Anglia Ruskin University, as saying.
“This Cellbond design reduced the “head impact criteria” by 50 to 60 per cent, hence the energy is absorbed in the collapsing structure.”
“The idea is to have every new car fitted with these bonnets. We have got a major and very prestigious car manufacturer that is very interested but I cannot name them,” he added.
A spokesman for the Cambridge Cycling Campaign said, “Anything that reduces the injury caused to vulnerable road users is a good thing. But it seems likely this would be an expensive method, and there are many tried and tested ways of reducing injury that could be introduced first.”
“Reducing speeds on residential and shopping streets from 30mph to 20mph is a far easier way - and less costly - to more than halve the kinetic energy of such impacts,” he added. (ANI)
