Offset crash

An offset crash is used in crash tests on vehicles when the vehicle to be tested hits an obstacle with only one front side of the vehicle (which can be another vehicle or a barrier).

A specific design of the entire body structure is important here in order to preserve the survival space of the occupants.

The offset frontal impact (offset crash) was included in the standard tests for the first time by Daimler-Benz AG and is the result of years of accident research in Baden-Württemberg in the vicinity of Stuttgart and Böblingen , but sometimes also in more distant areas if the accident occurred Vehicle was a new series.

In several thousand accidents, accident research has come to the conclusion that the most common traffic accident with personal injury is the offset frontal impact. This accident variant was included in the development specifications as a mandatory crash test at an early stage.

The first investigations were carried out with the W 116 series . This crash test was already an integral part of development for the W 123 .

The world's first car designed for an offset frontal impact was the Mercedes S-Class of the type W 126 .