AXA Group

The latest statistics confirm it: both Swiss and German drivers like to put the top down, and are doing so more and more frequently all year round. In light of the rising number of convertibles on our roads, AXA Winterthur Switzerland and Dekra* have decided to analyze the level of safety offered by this type of car in an accident situation.

Just how safe are drivers in the event of a head-on, rear-end or side-impact collision? What role do headrests and rollover bars play? What happens to passengers if the vehicle rolls over? Do the now popular convertibles with hard tops that fold into the luggage compartment pose any special risks? These are the questions that has been answered at the press conference on June 20. Presentations by Anton Brunner, head of accident research at AXA Winterthur Switzerland, and Jörg Ahlgrimm, head of accident analysis at Dekra, preceded a question-and-answer session.

The next day, four crash tests made it possible to show the risks to drivers of convertibles and to see how these snazzy little cars compare to the same model with a closed top. On the program:

• 1st crash - side-impact collision: a compact car will crash at full force at around 60 kmph into the driver's side of an identical compact convertible moving at approximately 30 kmph;
• 2nd crash - head-on collision: each traveling at approximately 50 kmph, a compact convertible and another car of the same type will collide head-on.
• 3rd crash - rear-end collision: traveling at approximately 60 kmph, a small off-road vehicle will crash with full force into the back of a standing two-seated convertible with a retracted steel roof in the luggage compartment.
• 4th crash - rollover: a compact convertible traveling at 40 kmph will be brought to roll over.

A good concrete way of illustrating AXA Winterthur Switzerland's commitment to road safety.

*International safety and quality service provider: technical control, environmental auditing, etc.