Reinforced Cars Stymie Rescue Workers

There’s no doubt that today's cars and trucks are the safest that cars have been since the first Model T rolled off the Ford assembly line. The introduction of advanced materials, reinforced frames, and other features that cushion occupants during major collisions have led to the lowest traffic fatality rate in U.S. history.

According to a recent article in Newsweek, however, the flipside of these safe vehicles is that when rescue workers arrive on the scene of an accident, they’re faced with the Herculean task of freeing victims from the web of safety features that remain intact even in the wake of a massive accident.

Workers wear out saw blades trying to cut through doors, posts and roofs. They face dangers of pressurized airbags or electrocution from hidden cables in hybrid vehicles. Where it might have once taken them 10 to 15 minutes to extract an accident victim, it may now take them 20 or 30 — precious time when the victim needs to receive treatment.

No studies have yet been conducted to determine if such delays are causing unnecessary deaths, but rescue workers across the country have begun to voice this concern.

What's the solution? There’s no denying that the automotive industry has spent years and years of money and ingenuity designing vehicles that can save the lives of occupants even in some horrific circumstances. Certainly no one wants to return to building cars and trucks the old way, right?

One idea comes from the nonprofit group COMCARE Emergency Response Alliance. The group has gained the cooperation of automakers in compiling construction and safety details for every car on the road in hopes of creating a single database that rescue workers can reference on their way to an accident. The information will hopefully allow them to organize a plan of attack once they arrive on the scene.

Sturdy Cars Make it Harder for Rescuers (Newsweek)

Comments

[Infosaur]

I wonder if they can design in an emergency Airbag disconnect circuit? The idea of cutting though all those explosives to get to the victem isn't very appealing.

Hats off to the EMT's out there.

[DL]

extrication time has been a predictor of severity of injury and survival in major trauma. now that these gizmos have artificially prolonged extrication time, it's interesting to see what the effects are ...

[smokin88lx]

Uh, 99.99999999% of the time if you have to be cut out of a car the airbags have deployed therefore are not explosive any more.

[M3]

In a severe frontal crash the front airbags deploy but the side-curtain airbags wont. If the rescue workers have to cut the A- or B-pillars to remove the victims they could cut into the side curtain airbags. Also consider seat-mounted side-impact airbags and seatbelt pretensioners, all of which use explosives. Even if the power is disabled, sparks from any cutting tools could set off the explosive charges. Could be dangerous to rescuers and victims alike.

[Infosaur]

Exactly I was refering to un-detonated curtain and door airbags as the EMT's cut though the roof/doors.