Teen drivnig decisions – turning a night of fun into a lifetime of sorrow

Here is the 2004 Hyundai Elantra being crash tested in what is called the “frontal offset test”. Siimply stated they crash head-on into a fixed object (it won’t move) off to one side of the car. What you may find interesting is the problem identified with the airbag being deployed. It was late in two tests exposing the driver and passengers to a greater risk of head trauma and brain damage. A second problem was with the fuel tank being punctured by a hose clamp, cauing fuel to leak after the collision.

I don’t like this vehicle due to the higher incidence of head injuries possible because the head can hit the steering wheel even though the airbag has deployed. That’s not a good thing. If you’ve never met someone with a head injury you should. If every teenager had the opportunity to visit an institution where head injured survivors, yes we call them survivors, they might think more about the consequences of what they are about to do when behind the wheel.

Traumatic brain injuries are unforgiving. Brain damage makes it so you can’t figure out what to do next. Nothing seems to work right. Your whole life is changed. While in Argentina recently The Lookout was on the television.  A teenagers life is explicably changed when driving with his girlfriend and other teens down a dark country road for a thrill he turns off the lights of the car. Switching them back on they are surprised to see a combine broken down in the middle of the road. Crashing into the combine leaves them all hospitalized. The girlfriend loses her leg and the driver suffers terrible brain damage. The story is about the difficulties he experiences trying to cope with his lower IQ and behavior changes. I’ve got think that even the doctors and staff at the neuropsych  unit in Iowa City would determine there is some brain damage in this guy.  Well, then again maybe not. Have you teen sit down and watch this movie it’s a lesson about making teen driver’s making the right decisions and the consequences of doing otherwise.

The Lookout (2007)

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels Director: Scott Frank

Visit the Craig Hospital website and watch the head injury movie. It’s about traumatic brain injury that will forever change your life.

Teens, don’t be stupid protect your brain. I don’t care what someone dares you to do, think first and consider what your life will be like if you could no longer think, no longer had the patience to even text-message.  Life after brain damage can be like walking through your life in a haze.

Now back to this crash test. Do note that Hyundai has changed the design to accommodate both problems.

Hyundai Elantra
2004-06 models
FRONTAL OFFSET TEST

OVERALL EVALUATION: Good
Structure/safety cage Injury measures Restraints/dummy kinematics
Head/neck Chest Leg/foot, left Leg/foot, right
Good Acceptable Good Good Acceptable Good

Important: Frontal crash test ratings can be compared only among vehicles of similar weight.
Test details:

The Hyundai Elantra was redesigned for the 2001 model year. The Institute evaluated the 2001 Elantra and identified a problem with the airbag system. The driver frontal airbag fired late in two crashes resulting in high head injury measures.

All 2004 and later Elantra models have redesigned driver frontal airbags and all 2004 and later Elantras manufactured after August 2003 also include redesigned passenger frontal airbags (note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door). At the request of Hyundai, the Institute agreed to test the 2004 Elantra with the redesigned airbag system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has evaluated the crashworthiness of the 2004 Elantra with the redesigned driver and passenger airbags in three 40 mph frontal offset crash tests into deformable barriers. A fuel leak occurred in the first test. Hyundai identified a fuel hose clamp that was improperly positioned, which led to puncturing of the fuel tank during the crash. Hyundai has recalled the affected models to reposition the hose clamp. A second test was conducted to assess the effect of the fix.

In the second test, no fuel leakage occurred, but the driver frontal airbag failed to deploy. This led Hyundai to modify the frontal airbag deployment characteristics beginning with 2005 models produced after December, 2004. Also, Hyundai will initiate a recall to modify at its cost 2004-05 models produced earlier. The Institute tested a third Elantra with the modified airbags, and the driver airbag inflated properly.

The evaluation of the Elantra below is based on the first and third tests, except for the structural rating, which is based on all three tests.

Restraints/dummy kinematics — Dummy movement was reasonably well controlled in the first test and well controlled in the third test. During rebound in both tests, the dummy's head hit the B-pillar.

Injury measures — Measures taken from the neck and chest indicate low risk of injuries to these body regions in the first and third tests in a crash of this severity. A high head acceleration occurred when the dummy's head hit the steering wheel through the airbag, indicating that head injuries would be possible. Head acceleration from the B-pillar hit was high in the first test but low in the third test. Forces on the right tibia in the third test indicate that injuries to the lower leg would be possible.