Camping is very popular this year, people find camping a safer way to spend a holiday than, for example, flying in times of the corona pandemic. Camping has been especially popular with young people in recent months. Nationally, caravan ownership among young people rose by an average of 6,6 percent to almost 18.000, the number of motorhomes by 17,2 percent to about 4.600. There has therefore been a run on motorhomes in recent months, traders have done good business. This concerns both new and second-hand motorhomes.
So more and more motorhomes are driving on European roads. Buying a camper is expensive, a new one costs at least 45.000 euros. You also have to take into account the annual fasting costs such as insurance and maintenance. How is the safety of such a camper actually doing? A crash test carried out by the ADAC (German sister company of the ANWB) shows that the safety of campers is not that good at all. The crash test shows that there is a high risk of injury to the occupants in a frontal collision.
The test team at the ADAC Technology Center in Landsberg has staged an accident that could happen during a risky overtaking maneuver on a country road. The ADAC conducted a head-on crash test at a speed of 56 kilometers per hour with a camper and a passenger car.
The ADAC concludes, among other things, that the destruction of both cars is great, the passenger compartment of the camper has collapsed, the wheel has penetrated the footwell, the floor plate is bent and the driver's seat is tilted back. The survival space for the driver has been significantly reduced. While the lower part of the steering column is pressed into the footwell, the steering wheel moves forward and up. The wooden construction of the rear passengers has completely collapsed under the seat, exposing the hard tubular frame of the backrest. This can cause serious injury if someone bangs their head on it. The tested van is based on the Fiat Ducato in a collision with a Citroën C5. The comprehensive test results can be found on the website of the ADAC.
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