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Focus On Safety in Side-Impact Testing of Scania's New City Bus

22 September 2000

Focus On Safety in Side-Impact Testing of Scania's New City Bus

    STOCKHOLM, Sweden--Sept. 22, 2000--Scania's proactive approach to the improvement of passenger and crash safety received positive affirmation the instant that a car traveling at 40 km/h hit the side of one of Scania's new city buses on the company's test track.
    The model in question was the OmniCity, one of Scania's new generation of low-floor buses--and it passed the test with flying colours.
    "This type of testing is fully in keeping with our safety policy," explains Bengt Klingberg, Technical Director of Scania Buses & Coaches. "Among other things, the policy states that Scania must be a motivating force in accident-prevention vehicle technology and that safety considerations shall be an integral part of all development work."
    As a recognised leader among the world's vehicle manufacturers in the field of safety, Scania performed the test to validate its safety work, as well as the passenger and crash safety calculations carried out as part of the development of its OmniCity low-floor city bus.
    In the absence of a comparable European standard, the test was carried out in accordance with the provisions of the US Standard Bus Procurement Guidelines. A car (in this case, a Saab 9-5) was driven at 40 km/h straight into the side of the bus. The standard specifies that penetration of the bus by the car under these conditions must not exceed 75 mm. This was achieved by a comfortable margin.
    The car also survived the test well, with the passenger compartment fully intact after the crash. The side-impact protection of the bus is located at a height such that the car impacts it at bumper height and the car's crumple zone is used to the full.
    "Authentic crash tests like this verify our design calculations and also build up a bank of experience for future generations of Scania buses," concludes Bengt Klingberg. "All with the focus on safety."
    The OmniCity has already passed the rollover test specified in European tourist coach regulations (ECE R66), which stipulate that deformation of the body caused by overturning must not invade a defined survival space.