2010 Chevrolet Traverse: 5-Star Safety

Not as creepy as car companies testing new technology with real cadavers. To quote MSNBC (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38868527/ns/technology_and_science-innovation):

"Since the 1930s, when researchers at Wayne State University first threw a body down an elevator shaft to see what kind of forces it could sustain, cadavers have been essential to making driving safer. Every part of a car touching on safety — from steering columns and laminated windshields to side-impact air bags — has science from cadaver tests making sure they work."

adantium,
Good question. I'll see if I can find out. But just looking at the NHTSA itself it doesn't say. Will see if Chevy has info.

vt8919,
Gross! I'm glad there aren't any videos of THAT. Or ARE there?

Actually, there was a television news report by NBC about cadaver testing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLVU2mjwGOs

You won't miss much if you don't watch it. The first thirty seconds or show show a cadaver in a frontal crash alongside video of a crash dummy in the same situation. Both react nearly identically.

But back to the vehicle at hand. I'm impressed at how well the Traverse kept its shape. The windshield did not even crack. It was probably engineered so well in 2010 that they did nothing for the 2011 test.

vt8919,
HA! "Both react nearly identically."

the drivers airbag deflated rather quickly compared to the passenger wtf?

Anyone see that the seats belts had a LOT of slack in them during the crash?

Most vehicles I have driven the belts lock up if you move forward too fast.

Hybris,

Seat belts now have a special stitching that is allowed to progressively release more slack in the seat belt during high energy collisions. Better to slow a person down from 35 MPH to 0 MPH in 1-2' of space instead of inches - reduced risk of internal injuries.

pezzy,

You forget that some people work very hard to find something negative when it relates to GM.

Anyway, the reference to the cadaver testing reminds me of "Bodies" exhibit I saw a few years ago in DC.

@stress83

Actually you are wrong I wasn't taking a shot a GM this time, it was a legitimate question that pezzy answered well.

pezzy, your facts have no place in a discussion about a GM car. If it isn't hyperbole repeated from your pundit of choice from whatever side of the political aisle you're on or comparing it (favorably or unfavorable) to something from a completely incompatible segment, it has no place here.

So, back to our regularly scheduled GM blog post:

This thing sucks, because it costs what, over $30,000 dollars? What a ripoff. You could get a basic, no options Mazda2 for half that.

On the other hand, it gets way better fuel economy than a Tundra towing a horse trailer. Imports suck but the media is so biased towards them.

The still frame image of the traverse actually looks good. Maybe they should sell a factory lift kit for that vehicle!

"the drivers airbag deflated rather quickly compared to the passenger wtf?"

The deflation rate is determined by the dummy contact with the airbag and the size of the vents. In this test it looks like the driver dummy hit much harder than the passenger.

Wow. That's just tremendous, that car is a rock. Only a handful of crash tests I've seen show such impressive isolation of the passenger cabin from the crumple zones. Great work. I'd like very much to see the side impact videos.