Simula Congratulates NHTSA on New Head Protection Rule
31 July 1998
Simula Congratulates NHTSA on New Head Protection Rule
Each Year New Rule May Save up to 1,200 Lives, Prevent up to 975 Serious Head
Injuries and Provide an Economic Benefit of $900 Million
PHOENIX, July 31 -- Simula, Inc. , congratulates
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on the approval of
changes to the 1995 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 201 (FMVSS 201).
These changes permit automakers to install dynamically deploying (inflatable
restraint-type) interior head protection systems that will provide additional
safety in side-impact collisions, as opposed to the previous regulation which
required the use of padding above the door of vehicles.
The 1995 head protection standard was hailed as the most significant new
safety rule in a decade. NHTSA estimated, at that time, that each year the
rule would save up to 1,200 lives, prevent up to 975 serious head injuries and
provide an annual economic benefit of $900 million. Since 1992, Simula has
been proactive in pushing the limits of automotive occupant safety, leading to
the development of the Inflatable Tubular Structure (ITS).
Simula's ITS is the world's first inflatable restraint system designed to
protect the head and neck in the event of a side-impact or rollover collision,
and the first to meet the newly adopted head protection safety standard. In
1997, BMW became the first automobile manufacturer to offer head protection in
side-impact crashes with the BMW Head Protection System (HPS). At the heart
of the BMW HPS is Simula's ITS. The ITS has been available in selected BMW
automobiles for the past year, and is now in all new BMW sedans. The ITS
system is competitively priced with the cost of padding above the doors of new
vehicles, thereby making the ITS a cost-effective, and technologically
superior safety solution.
"If NHTSA hadn't changed the requirement of FMVSS 201, manufacturers would
have been forced to replace these advanced systems with less effective
padding," stated Brian O'Neill of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater stated yesterday, "Three
years ago when we announced the new head injury rule, little did we realize it
would inspire such an acceleration of innovative technology. You came to us
and said, 'we can make it even better.' We responded by revising the rule and
today's amendment enables new car manufacturers to bring lifesaving technology
quickly to motorists -- saving lives and preventing injuries. This new 'Head
Protection System' provides even greater protection from head injury in the
unfortunate event of a side impact crash." These words are supported by the
fact that after only one year from being introduced by BMW, the ITS system has
already been credited with saving a number of lives in real world side-impact
and rollover collisions.
"Simula is very pleased with the new enhancements to rule 201, and that
our ITS system actually has been meeting this newly adopted head protection
standard, as well as protecting occupants in side-impact and rollover crashes
for more than one year," said Simula President Don Townsend. "We take pride
in the fact that our leading-edge safety technologies have been well received
by both regulators and the automotive community. As we grow our company, we
will continue to focus on supplying innovative safety solutions to high-growth
areas like the automotive and aviation markets. We believe these markets have
great potential for our safety advances, and will continue to be growth
markets for us as we continue to reinvent the technology of safety," said
Townsend.
Simula, Inc., based in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, is an acknowledged world
leader in transportation safety and energy absorption technology. Its
principal product lines are protective systems including inflatable
restraints, airbags, ballistic armor, high technology energy absorbing
aircraft seating systems and rail and mass transit seating systems.
Additional information about the company is located on the Internet at
http://www.simula.com.