The safest car in its class

Through HLDI (the Highway Loss Data Institute), the American insurance companies have produced the most comprehensive passenger car safety statistics in the world. The latest annual figures available (for 1989) show the Saab 9000 to be number one in its class, with only about half the average number of personal injuries per kilometer. Here is hard, statistical evidence that a rigorous and thoroughgoing safety programme pays really big dividends for Saab owners and passengers alike.

The driver has total control over the Saab 9000. Should an accident occur however, the design of the body and interior play an important protective part. There is, for example, a generous amount of room between passengers and the heavily padded interior fittings in order to minimise risk of injury.

Active vocabulary

collision – столкновение, авария

accident – ДТП

to enhance, upgrade – усиливать, укреплять;

average – средний

injuries – повреждение

dividend – дивиденд

to know (knew, known) – знать

to prove (proved, proven) – доказывать

to occur (-ed, -ed) - происходить, случаться

to contribute to (-ed, -ed) – способствовать чему либо, делать вклад

to define (-ed, -ed) – определять

to allow (-ed, -ed) – позволять, допускать

to show (showed, shown) – показывать, демонстрировать

to pay (paid, paid) – платить

HLDI – the Highway Loss Data Institute – Институт исследования информации дорожных потерь

2. Answer the following questions:

1) What is the safest car on the market?

2) What is active safety?

3) What is passive safety?

4) Who analyzied the causes and effects of actual accidents?

3. Write down the principal forms of the following verbs. Translate them.

To be, to provide, to point, to secure, to move, to carry, to fasten, to adjust, to eliminate, to reduce, to wear, to crash, to keep, to fit, to cover, to pad, to back.

4. Pay attention to the translation of nominative groups. Mind the order: the last word in a group is the kernal one.

Example: safety programme – программа безопасности

Seatbelts, inertia-reeltype, lapstrap, centrepassenger, anchorpoint, fore – and – aftadjustment, doorpillar, collisionprotection, third – floorwindow, whiplash effect, foampadding, impact – absorbingsurfaces, impactinjuries.

Text B. Seat belts.

1. Read the following text. Answer the questions given below.

Seat belts are standard equipment for all five occupants of the Saab 9000. The seat belts for the front occupants and the outer two passengers on the rear seat are of the three-point, inertia-reel type. A lap strap is provided for the centre passenger.

Since the bottom anchor points of the front seat belts are secured to the seat, they will move with the seat on fore – and – aft adjustment. This adjustment can easily be carried out even when the occupants seat belt is fastened. The anchor point on the door pillar is vertically adjustable in four steps. This enables the occupant to adjust the strap to a comfortable position.

The front seat belt safety characteristics have been further improved in cars equipped with automatic tensioners. In a collision, a small explosive charge tightens the belt almost instantaneously, thus eliminating any slackness that might otherwise reduce the safety provision.

In order to obtain full collision protection, all occupants must wear their seat belts.

Crashing into a solid obstacle at 30 mph (50 km/h) is approximately equivalent to falling from a third-floor window. The seat belts also keep the occupants secure in their seats if the vehicle overturns.