watch volvo drop a car from 30 meters in the most extreme crash test ever

for the first time, swedish luxury automobile marque volvo has dropped several new cars multiple times from a crane, from a height of 30 meters. the extreme crash test is part of the company’s simulations to allow rescue services to prepare for any possible crash scenario and to simulate the forces that erupt in the most extreme crashes. 

images and video by volvo

with the crash test, volvo created enough damage to simulate the one found in the most extreme crash scenarios: single-car accidents at very high speed, accidents whereby a car hits a truck at high speed, or accidents whereby a car takes a severe hit from the side. in situations like this, people inside the car are likely to be in a critical condition, therefore the priority is to get people out of the car and to a hospital as quickly as possible, using hydraulic rescue tools known in the industry as ‘jaws of life’. extrication specialists often talk about the golden hour: they need to release and get a patient to the hospital within one hour after the accident has happened.

‘we have been working closely together with the swedish rescue services for many years,’ comments håkan gustafson, a senior investigator with the volvo cars traffic accident research team. ‘that is because we have the same goal: to have safer roads for all. we hope no one ever needs to experience the most severe accidents, but not all accidents can be avoided. so it is vital there are methods to help save lives when the most severe accidents do happen.’

the data collected from the tests will be available free of use to rescue workers, allowing them to benefit from the findings and further develop their life-saving capabilities. ‘normally we only crash cars in the laboratory, but this was the first time we dropped them from a crane,’ gustafson concludes. ‘we knew we would see extreme deformations after the test, and we did this to give the rescue team a real challenge to work with.’