[Robin Ray]

No Im saying that if you drove your car in to a motorway bridge at speeds of over 30mph you are unlikley to survive.

Driving your car in to another car at 15mph at the same time as it drives in to you at 15 mph is probably not healthy. But this will not be as severe as there are two crumple zones which absorb the impact. The weight of the vehicles also play a large part. For example two smart cars coliding at 30mph will not be as damaged after impact as much as two tankers.

Systems are tested at 30mph due to the fact that a dead stop any faster would kill the driver on impact without any load. Any test over this speed would be a waste of money as the driver would already be dead.

The couriers who carry over a tonne are in danger in the event of a crash, which is a good point. Maybe there is a gap in the market for some form of better restraint system for this application.

The real point is at the end of the day everyone can make their choice of system, it all depends on their budget, priorities, and needs.

I think the point is safety regarding crash testing; the real point though is how the current systems are marketed for your cash and not the real safety aspect these system offer. Budget, Priorities & needs all come into it with any system regardless of safety. But to sell wfp systems under an illusion of safety, especially when that individual may be making there decision to buy a particular wfp system on safety alone, is hypocritical and misleading.

Or do you think that is acceptable?

I think striving to provide the safest product available and telling people about it is acceptable and not misleading and definately not hypocritical.

[Robin Ray]

The big problem is money. To crash a system in every van on the market would cost alot of money. Which is why it will never happen.

The next best thing though is a system which has been designed to withstand a crash in any vehicle and does not rely on the structural integrity of the vehicle too much.

The next best thing after that is a system which has been through a crash test.

The marketing side of things is only hypocritical if it pretends to be something its not which is probably a job for trading standards.

[George P]

just to add my thoughts any crash testing is good, but we have crashed / wrote off two vans one  with 750ltr tank and one 1000ltr tank both near full, on both occasions th esystems only moved within the framework of tanks and was still left safely in place in the back of the vans, i  cannot comment on other systems but these two were very good in these cases, both were fitted at facelift

[AuRavelling79]

just to add my thoughts any crash testing is good, but we have crashed / wrote off two vans one  with 750ltr tank and one 1000ltr tank both near full, on both occasions th esystems only moved within the framework of tanks and was still left safely in place in the back of the vans, i  cannot comment on other systems but these two were very good in these cases, both were fitted at facelift

What sort of crash? Other vehicle involved?

[George P]

gold - 1st crash approx 70mph into back off another van, wrote off 2 vans, 2nd was around 45mph into back of another van, our van wrote off but other van only slightly damaged, luckily no one injured in any of the 2 accidents

[Robin Ray]

gold - 1st crash approx 70mph into back off another van, wrote off 2 vans, 2nd was around 45mph into back of another van, our van wrote off but other van only slightly damaged, luckily no one injured in any of the 2 accidents

Sounds bad! I hope no one was hurt!

Just out of interest were the vehicles they hit stationary or moving?

[Robin Ray]

Sorry, you mentioned no one was hurt.

[George P]

the 70mph accident other vehicle was moving but the 45mph a/dent other vehicle stationary

[matt]

its all very well going on about a crash test at 30mph!! have they tested a crash at 70mph? NO they havent.
why waste the money crash testing it at 30, why not have the test at 70mph, then if it passes that, it would be safe in a 30mph crash.
also do lorries have cages built on their trailers and bolt each and every pallet everytime they go on the road?
what about the couriers that carry over a tonne in weight on 2 pallets in the back. are they bolted down?



Matt

both points i have raised in the past

if your going above 30 mph ( or the other vehicle is ) then you just have to hope for the best

builders carry around cement mixers in the bag of the van, various tools ( some sharp ) a pallet of bricks etc etc, they are never even tied down, let along a cage installed around them and fitted to the chassis