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Renault fends off cars

30th January 1997
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Page 16, 30th January 1997 — Renault fends off cars
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

by Toby Clark • The front underrun protection system, known by the French abbreviation DPEA, is designed to reduce injury to passengers in cars which are involved in collision with the front of trucks.

The problem with most current designs is that the car's bonnet becomes trapped under neath the relatively high front bumper of the truck. Worse still, the long front overhang of most trucks prevents the crumple zone at the front of the car functioning properly. The result is that too much energy is transmitted to the passenger compartment, and the occupants are subjected to massive forces.

Renault designed the front of the Magnum with minimal overhang and a low-mounted bumper, but this is not practical on a conventional truck with cab steps in front of the wheels. In any case, the sheer mass of a truck can still cause enormous damage to a much lighter car. The answer is a deformable area—a crumple zone which can absorb much of the force of an impact.

The DPEA is a U-section steel beam mounted low on the truck chassis, which is crushed by a frontal impact. It has to be tai

bred to each installation, so it cannot be retrofitted to existing models, but it will be available as an option on Magnum and Premium models (apart from construction versions) later this year. The system adds around 40kg to the weight of the truck and will cost about £600This won't make it a popular option, but incentives could be offered unless official incentives are offered, though making it a standard feature would cut the cost of future versions.

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