New “energy absorbing” frontal protection systems could be a lifesaver for caravan owners

Two children were seriously injured and one of them died last month after being hit by a car towing a caravan. Both accidents happened on a crowded caravan parks and despite the fact that the cars were moving slowly tragedies were not avoided. In both cases children’s injuries might have been significantly smaller if the involved cars were equipped with the polyurethane Endura Frontal Protection System - FPS (www.frontalprotectionsystems.eu) which absorbs the impact and reduces up to 50 times the damage to pedestrians and cyclist when involved in collisions with a large towing vehicle.

Although for many years number of caravan accidents was claimed to be small,

there is some anecdotal evidence that as caravans do so few miles in comparison with other vehicles there can be problems with maintenance that affect stability and stopping distance. The lack of brakes on some trailers or over run brakes in case of emergency braking can result both in lifting up and crushing a trailer into a back of the tow car pushing it and extending the stopping distance.

The heavier a caravan is, the longer the time needed for breaking, which means that even a slow moving caravan can be much more dangerous for pedestrians in an accident than 4X4s or large cars alone. Children, whose vital organs are right on the level of hard parts of the vehicle such as the engine, radiator and bonnet leading edge, are highly endangered in this type of situation.

A manufacturer of the revolutionary Endura “energy absorbing” FPS, Concept Mouldings (www.conceptmouldings.co.uk) has proven that its product can reduce the risk of pedestrian head injury in a frontal impact, from over 98 per cent in the worst case down to less than 2 per cent. The Concept Mouldings FPS is made of moulded Polyurethane and embodies a unique energy absorbing design developed over many years of work with Land Rover. Each Endura product now on the market has passed pedestrian protection tests at an accredited testing facility and been granted approval for a specific model of vehicle.

Concept Mouldings believes that its FPS range is a product will help towards achieving the European Commission’s target to reduce road traffic fatalities in the EU by 50% in 2010 compared to 2000. The goal is vital, as more than 12,000 European pedestrians and cyclist is killed every year in car accident.

As well as giving caravan owners more peace of mind with regard to possible pedestrian impacts the product also helps pay for itself by protecting the vehicle from minor front end bumps and scrapes and so reducing insurance claims.

 

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