There is no doubt that new cars are measurably safer than cars of yesterday – at least for the occupants of the vehicle. For emergency responders, it’s a bit of a different story.
USA Today is shedding some light on how these newer cars are not only more difficult to deal with when accidents occur but they are also more dangerous to policemen, firefighters and paramedics.
Most new cars are made of high grade steel. This makes using the jaws of life more difficult but on top of that with airbags now tucked away in every nook and cranny you can think of, it also makes it more difficult to cut the airbags to get to the occupants inside. Not only is this frustrating, but it can also be quite time cosnuming and, as we all know, seconds count in emergency situations.
There is also some danger involved as well. With the popularity of hybrids and electric vehicles, the high-voltage risk is very much elevated. On top of that, hybrid and electric vehicles are not as easy to identify as they once were. Some manufacturers are making hybrid versions of their regular combustion engine models like the Toyota Camry Hybrid which is only identified as a hybrid by a small badge on the trunk. There’s nothing else that makes it different visually from a regular Camry.
Firefighters also say they automakers aren’t adequately communicating how to safely deal with their technologies when they are working on one of their cars. Sometimes the fire departments get “practice” vehicles to work on, but they are often older models with older technologies.
So obviously we don’t want to endanger the well-being of those tasked with keeping our well being in tact. What can we do? Well as is the case for most things, there’s a dedicated body in place to ensure that these challenges are being addressed and they’re called the Society of Automotive Engineers. They are actively working on coming up with some solutions, not least of which is asking automakers to require a standardized labelling system for electrified vehicles. Check out the video above for more info.
What do you think should be done to better protect emergency responders?
[USA Today]