Side curtain airbags keep drivers safe
27 FEBRUARY 2019
Scania’s rollover side curtain airbags targets one of the most critical consequences of rollover accidents, where drivers or passengers are injured in a collision or fatally crushed by their own vehicle. This unique solution deploy and protect those travelling in the cab if the truck rolls over.
Scania’s new truck generation can be equipped with rollover side curtain airbags integrated into the headliner moulding above the doors to provide significantly-enhanced protection for those travelling in the vehicle in the event of a rollover, which is one of the most serious types of truck accidents.
“Our rollover side curtain airbag ensures that the driver and any passengers on board will have a much better chance of surviving a rollover accident.”
“Our rollover side curtain airbag – particularly when combined with the steering wheel airbag and our seat belt pretensioners – ensures that the driver and any passengers on board will have a much better chance of surviving a rollover accident in one of the new generation of Scania trucks, with far less severe consequences than would be the case in any other truck ,” says Christofer Karlsson, who was responsible for the development of Scania’s crash safety system.
How side curtain airbags work
A common reason for trucks rolling over is that the driver is forced to carry out evasive action to avoid an oncoming vehicle or an obstruction. If the truck then ends up off the road, there is rarely sufficient load-bearing capacity, so the vehicle may topple onto its side or even roll over at higher speeds. Advanced systems with sensors determine when and if the rollover side curtain airbags and any other airbags should be deployed; and when deployed, the airbags inflate instantaneously.