VW expands accident research

Volkswagen accident research has expanded to cover all of the state of Niedersachsen, as well as other states in Germany.

For nearly two decades Volkswagen accident research has been working closely alongside the engineers and developers at Volkswagen to sustainably reduce the risk of accidents, with the vehicle manufacturer analysing around 120 accidents every year – at the scene – in Wolfsburg, Germany. An eight man team is overseen by department head, Ralf Tenzer.

If a current Volkswagen brand model is involved in an accident, the investigators at Volkswagen use cameras and measuring equipment to document a wide range of details in the shortest possible time: such as the damage to the vehicles, their location and braking distances.

The result of this work has seen the introduction of Emergency Assist in VW’s current Passat model. ‘If the system detects that the driver is no longer able to control the car, Emergency Assist takes over the steering and brings the car to a halt,’ said the chief accident researcher.

Accident research has also contributed to the development of systems for pedestrian protection such as City Emergency Braking and Front Assist. ‘In the case of accidents at speeds below 30 km/h, whiplash is the most common type of injury,’ said Tenzer. ‘It is rarely life threatening, but a serious injury, and above all it can be prevented.’

Tenzer continued, ‘Our goal is to develop a safe and comfortable car for all. It is only possible to increase security effectively and efficiently with the correct interaction of the various components.’