safety features when rear-ended

[jumbojake]

Please excuse the obvious double entendre's here.... but other than 'bracing your self', what else should happen when your rear-ended in an Rx450h ?

My wife's car was hit on the week-end and we didn't notice anything.  The other car is a write off (toyota previa), but the Rx whad some significant damage also ... it will need a new boot, bumper and some structural parts underneath the bumper.... I was surprised nothing happened.. no air bags, no seat belt tensioners .. nothing.    The car started up without any warnings on the dashboard.

What is expected?

[Gliderpilot]

I don't think there are any sensors etc. for a rear end collision, just front and side impact sensors.

[MartyGS]

Sensors in the car decide which airbags, if any, need deployed in an accident. If the impact was directly from behind front airbags wouldn't make you any safer. Same with seatbelt pre-tensioners.

If the airbags went off straight away they would afford you no protection if you had a 'multiple impact' accident.

Your accident is why manufacturers tell you to have correctly adjusted headrests. You would be 'pushed back' into the seat during the impact and the headrest would stop your neck flexing too far back.

Glad to hear you're okay and hopefully recover quickly.

[rich1068]

Agree with Martyn. The only thing I could see activating would be active head restraints like I had in the Saabs and Volvos. But I don't know if the RX has those. I believe that most five seat vehicles have "passive" safety at the rear ie a crumple zone designed to absorb the energy of a collision so there's less impact on the passenger compartment.

[Delphius1]

I agree with the others, the only injury you need to prevent in a direct rear-end collision would be whiplash and the seat back and head restraints are the devices that help prevent that happening.

There's nothing else that needs to be done as you are not in danger of hitting anything hard once the collision has happened. You're being forced into the back of the seat and the headrest, so you already have a softened impact.

I assume if the impact had occurred from an angle (for instance hitting the rear at 45 degrees or so) and the sensors had detected your head was in danger of hitting the side of the car, the side curtain airbags would have deployed.

 

[jumbojake]

seems like that is what happened... direct hit from the rear.. .car smashed, but nothing else happened.

The rear of the car is damaged, tailgate, bumper, a support strut, exhaust etc all being replaced.

My wife is suffering with whiplash, but in her hands/arms/// a bit weird, but I assume she took the rebound  impact on the steering wheel, or maybe some impulse muscle reaction.

[Lager shandy]

I'm sure your wife's details have already been sold to a claims firm .weres there blame there's a claim