2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 15:44
Mobile networking in the car is on the advance. Frequent drivers in particular like to lug around cell phones, navigation systems and portable computers. But in the event of a crash, the devices can become dangerous projectiles.
By Sebastian Viehmann
With this picture you get a queasy feeling: During a car accident, a DVD monitor that is attached to a headrest with a belt comes off. The heavy device snaps backwards as a result of the recoil and hits the head of a child sitting in the rear of the child seat at 30 km / h. Fortunately, it's just a simulated accident, and the kid is a crash test dummy.
Serious injuries at 32 km / h
In an emergency, however, things would have turned out badly: "That could have led to serious injuries," says Olaf Kretschmann from the DEKRA expert organization, which carried out the unusual crash test. During the tests, various mounts for telephones, navigation devices and DVD players were tested for their safety against accidents. The DEKRA experts simulated a typical rear-end collision at 32 kilometers per hour. The tests uncovered serious safety deficiencies in the mounts of commercially available devices.
Another DVD device, for example, hit the child's dummy on the back seat in the head and chest because the seam of the device pocket tore during the test. “Cell phones and GPS devices can also pose an acute danger to car occupants due to inadequate mounts. In one of the suction cup systems tested, the bracket was on the windshield, but the cell phone came off the clamp and was thrown through the vehicle,”reports DEKRA.
Adhere to the operating instructions
The tests showed that using the brackets is also problematic. Many cell phones and navigation systems sometimes have to be locked into the holder over two stages. If you slip in the process, the device will not sit properly and can easily come off the holder in the event of an accident. “It is therefore very important to attach the brackets according to the operating instructions,” says test leader Olaf Kretschmann. "Then you have to make sure that the suction holder is correctly seated on the window and that the locks click into place."
The fact that more and more car manufacturers are offering permanently installed and therefore in principle crash-safe navigation systems is unlikely to solve the problems. Because most motorists rely on removable devices for reasons of cost. «Customers mostly prefer the practical and mobile navigation devices to the very expensive fixed installations. Fixed installation notifications are only preferred in the middle and luxury class,”says Jochen Eckelt from the Association of Automobile Tuning and Accessories (VATZ).
Always take mobile devices with you
Anyone who has a cell phone, laptop or navigation system with them in their car should also keep an eye on another danger: the beautiful, expensive things on the dashboard or on the back seat are a favorite for casual thieves. Break in the side window, let the device go with you and disappear - thieves only need a few seconds. Insurance companies, for example, advise you to expand your mobile navigation system and take it with you every time you leave your car.
