Did you know that the new beetle is the 'best pick' for overall safety in the small-car group? It's certified by the Institute of Highway Safety. According to the institute's president, the new beetle is the only car to earn a overall good evaluation, best designation and a head restraint system rated good! The beetle has a galvanized body with driver, passenger and side impacts bags. It is one of the few small-cars equipped with good airbags which protects occupants from side impacts. Disk brakes are situated in the front and rear.
A series of crash tests were carried out in Ruckersville, Virginia. The tests evaluated 16 cars for crash worthiness. Among the cars are the 1997-1998 models of Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Ford Escort and the Kia Sephia. In a 4 low speed (5 mph) crash test, the beetle survived by having the least amount of damage (hurray)!
Brakes
The beetle actually has quite a good brake system! It's brakes are dual circuited with vented front discs and solid rear discs.
This feature is also attached to the roof pillars, allowing the vehicle to maintain it's stability in the unfortunate event of a rollover accident.
The braking system in the Volkswagen Beetle is also special in the sense that it is an Anti-lock Braking System. Well, enough about the brakes, let's move on!
Safety Cell
The safety cell in the bug shall give the
occupants of the car safety from the intrusion of any foreign objects such as
other cars . This is done by providing a strong formation of the certain parts
of the car.
Crush Zone
On the Beetle there is two areas of crush zones, the front zone and the rear zone. These areas give way upon any strong force and extra energy, thus lessening the impact that would have hit the occupants.
Air Bags
With side impact and dual front airbags, the Beetle is to be said very secure during times of an emergency.
This airbag system is designed to work together with the combination of seat belts. This will slow and limit occupants and therefore reducing the possibility of an accident.
As with all cars, the Beetle's airbag system is to limit movement and lessen force on the occupants of the car during a collision. Both the airbags, side and front are for this same purpose.
However, the airbags do not come with the car and the buyer of the car will have to add a small fee to have them installed.
Safety Belts
Safety belts for the Bug are equipped with belt force limiters. This means that if the belts are pulled on at a large force, they will not lengthen and so keep the wearer in place.
Also, the height of the front safety belts are adjustable and can be changed to follow the needs of the occupant.
In the rear seat, there are two 3 point safety belts. which also have the same features as the front seat belts. There is an additional child tether and anchorage system in the rear seat.
For more specific details, check out the Facts & Specs page.
