Nissan Advanced Crash Laboratory Begins Operations

Long-term commitments to safety

Nissan has previously adopted technologies to help achieve better compatibility*5 such as its unique high-strength Zone Body*6 construction. The latest version has been used on Nissan’s models since 2002 with the release of the present generation of the March compact car.

Nissan has set a goal of halving the number of traffic fatalities or serious injuries involving Nissan vehicles in Japan by 2015 compared with 1995. As of 2003, Nissan had reduced the number of fatal and serious injuries by 22% compared with 1995, indicating that steady progress is being made toward the attainment of its goal.

*1Dolly rollover test: Simulates a rollover kerb impact crash with the vehicle in a fixed position on a dolly.

*2Trip-over test: This test simulates an accident where a vehicle spins and slips sideways until it comes in contact with a kerb or some other formation that causes it to roll over.

*3Ditch rollover test: This test simulates an accident where a vehicle leaves the road, travels down a sloped embankment at an oblique angle and rolls over.

*4Corkscrew test: This test simulates an accident where the wheels on one side run up on the centre divider or some other structure, causing the vehicle to tip and roll over.

*5Compatibility: This refers to helping to improve the protection of the vehicle’s occupant while reducing damage toward the occupants of the other vehicle.

*6Zone Body: The name of the high-strength body construction that Nissan has introduced since 1997. It combines a high-strength cabin (occupant zone) with impact-absorbing body structures (crushable zones) to help protect the vehicle’s occupants.