Glossary

GLOSSARY

Passive safety

This includes the precautions that interact to reduce the consequences of an accident on the car occupants, and can be summed up as:

• layered windscreen
• collapsible steering column
• steering wheel trim material
• profile without protrusions or hazardous sharp edges of the dashboard, built in shock absorbent material
• pedal unit structure
• shape and resistance of seats
• headrest
• safety belts(also with pretensioners on the airbag system)
• Airbag, where installed, according to the version, only on driver's side or on driver's and passenger sides
• body with differential resistance, i.e. the passenger compartment as stiff as possible and the front and rear parts gradually deformable to absorb the energy of the crash.

Submarining

Phenomenon that takes place in a front crash when the body of the seat occupant, although the belt is correctly fastened, tends to slide under the belt.