Thread: Defender Safety

It's a bit of a strange one really.

In reality, until the last 10 years none of these fancy electronic safety nets were available in normal cars.

People are getting overly paranoid about needing a lot of stuff that has only really appeared relatively recently.

None of these will ever make up however for **** driving standards and lack of concentration.

A Defender will stand up fine in almost all situations. A fast heavy roll on a sealed road is probably the exception.

I would have no qualms moving kids around in one if I had any!

For extended remote tourning or serious off road, a cargo barrier, roll hoop of if the budget is there, a cage is a good idea for a number of reasons.

Rgds
Pete.

ditto the cargo barrier

cage if your really concerned

height difference addressess the majority of possible side impacts

I like others have said have also become a much more sedate driver now that I drive diesel 4x4s

I think the UK has some raiting of safest cars based on how many per each type of vehicle are involved in accidents. I recall the defender is one of the safest on that score.

There are some passive and often unthought of safety features with the Defender.

1. Full Chassis

2. Height - the most vulnerable spot on a vehicle is a side impact. High vehicles struck by low vehicles tend to be pushed over. This dissipates a lot of energy and then puts a chassis between you and the intruder. It hurts to be tipped over, but not as much as having a car drive into your passenger compartment. - Still, I'd recommend steel side steps in case you get struck by something taller (see below).

3. Constant 4WD - greater traction - reduced risk of losing control.

4. Large diameter tyres - less likely to be "thrown" by pot holes or pushed by obstacles (such as gutters). If you get sideswiped and pick an exit course over the nature strip, your car won't hit the kerb and bounce back into traffic.

5. Height (2) increased awareness of road - less likely to get taken suddenly by an adverse situation.

Add to that the added ROPS protection of a cargo barrier and roof rack.

I've had a car rammed and pushed into my path while I was doing 60kph in a SIII and only a car length from from me when it happened. It was a right hand oblique impact and while the chassis in the SIII got bent, and the loose stuff in the back flew past my head (after which I've always had cargo barriers), there was no hint of injury to the Land Rovers occupant/s.

I've also been clipped on the side of my Defender by a Land Cruiser with bullbar, and that would have gone through my thin skinned door, but the steel side steps glanced the cruiser off.

Hi,
Hypothesising: replace front air bags with prominent sharp steel spikes.

Would the accident rate go up - or down!

Wondering, wondering.

cheers

A while ago I was out with my parents and girlfriend.. while going up a nice technical section I glanced over and thought to myself 'don't stuff this up, you've got company'.

I'm saving for some kind of roll over protection. Even a full camel trophy style internal + external which are around 5k are completely worth it if it saves an injury (or worse) of a passenger of mine.

i do think they could roll over very easily i think a few times i have had it on 3 wheels not doing anything to bad i do feel if it did roll over it would crush badly i was talking to a guy who has been in a roll over in a series it roleed twice he jumped out on the first roll his mate died on the 2nd roll he was the driver the problem was that the gearbox failed

Originally Posted by austastar

Hi,
Hypothesising: replace front air bags with prominent sharp steel spikes.

Would the accident rate go up - or down!

Wondering, wondering.

cheers

it has be proven that airbags have killed people in crashes

Originally Posted by schmierer LR at singleton

it has be proven that airbags have killed people in crashes

I girl I knew was killed in a crash with airbags.. she put a dvd on the dash where the airbag was. Small crash.. Airbag goes off.. DVD.. you get the idea.

In general through, I'd say that they have saved many times the number of people that they have injured.