Car Radios in a Crash

WD4JKH · Nov 1, 2018

I don't know if this is allowed by the admins so please delete if it isn't.

I have helped out at the training center here with car crashes for their accident reconstruction class and this time I asked if it was okay if I installed some equipment to see how it would do in a crash with air bag deployment.

Granted this is just one instance with a certain type of vehicle with certain equipment and the results will obviously vary. I do not condone or encourage any type of installation method, I am just putting this out for a FYI.

The equipment was a radio velcroed on top of the dash, a portable radio on a metal holder, a older large flip phone on a vent clip, and a Maratrac control head on a pedestal mounted to the hump. To my surprise, everything except the vent clip didn't move far.

They decided to add a dummy with his feet propped on the dash to show why that is a bad idea unless you like the taste of your own foot.

Video is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IXBcKT22bg

For the long video of the test, here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNdVpT1sBKQ

n9mxq · Nov 2, 2018

That's awesome. Thanks for sharing.. I didn't expect the HT to stay where it was.. Actually expected it to follow the phone.

Don't see many people mounting radios to the top of the dash (heat issues) but it's nice to see it stayed in place fairly well. What was used to secure it to the IP top pad? (Re-read original post..I'm a doof)

iMONITOR · Nov 2, 2018

Interesting, however I'd like to see a similar test with the same setup except to have the car get rear-ended. I think the results would be quite different and not in a good way.

K5MPH · Nov 2, 2018

The video was great really liked the slow Mo......

WD4JKH · Nov 2, 2018

iMONITOR said:
Interesting, however I'd like to see a similar test with the same setup except to have the car get rear-ended. I think the results would be quite different and not in a good way.

They were floating the idea of a car doing around 20 mph getting rear ended by one doing about 50, so if that happens I will try to get some equipment in that one. They only do this about once a year and my stuff is secondary to their main data gathering.

bharvey2 · Nov 2, 2018

Many moons ago I was in a pretty bad car accident: hit by a "hit and run" driver, sent spinning and then broadsided by a big rig. Naturally, the vehicle I was driving was totaled. I had a Maxon handheld radio with me and for some reason, I had placed it under the passenger side seat. It's frame was all aluminum and with the battery, it weighed more that some current mobile radios do now. Given how other items had moved around in the cabin during the accident. I remember being thankful that the radio wasn't one of them. It would have done some serious damage had it hit me.

IAmSixNine · Nov 2, 2018

Great video. Thank you for sharing it. I keep a radio or two in my cup holders and have wondered from time to time what would happen if i were to be in a wreck. Then i though, i probably have more to worry about then my radios if that happens.

radioman2001 · Dec 10, 2018

Great video. I also see the dummy was not belted, and I am surprised it stayed where it was based on the vehicle doing a 180.

Never use Velcro, whether it's in the passenger compartment or even the trunk. I have problems sometimes with my installers using sheet metal screws in plastic, they easily can be ripped out and now you have a 5 lb missile moving at whatever speed you are going bouncing around inside the truck.

A proper way to install is nut and bolt hardware with backing washers. You also need to check owners manual or up fitter guides if available for airbag deployment areas to keep everything out of it, like GPS, phones Ipod etc. It's getting harder as there are airbags everywhere, we now have reroute antenna wiring around or behind the rollover bags for roof antenna's .

I used to do the airbag deployment class at our Fire Academy to show how you can be seriously injured or killed by and airbag. We setup a dummy with full gear sticking his head into drivers window and then deploy the airbag. The helmet most times goes out through the back window or bounces around inside the vehicle.

mmckenna · Dec 10, 2018

radioman2001 said:
I have problems sometimes with my installers using sheet metal screws in plastic, they easily can be ripped out and now you have a 5 lb missile moving at whatever speed you are going bouncing around inside the truck.

A personal pet peeve of mine, too. Usually a tek-screw or something similar straight into the dashboard.

I think the first personal install I did used sheet metal screws. All it took was one well washboarded dirt road and it let me know it wasn't happy.

radioman2001 said:
A proper way to install is nut and bolt hardware with backing washers.

For heavier radios (RF deck and control head together) I've got in the habit of copying the mounting bracket over to a piece of 2" wide aluminum bar stock. I run at least two 1/4x20 screws through and a nylock nut on the back. Sandwich the dashboard material between two pieces of metal and locknuts and it's not likely to go anywhere in any collision that's survivable.

DJ11DLN · Dec 11, 2018

mmckenna said:
A personal pet peeve of mine, too. Usually a tek-screw or something similar straight into the dashboard.

I think the first personal install I did used sheet metal screws. All it took was one well washboarded dirt road and it let me know it wasn't happy.

For heavier radios (RF deck and control head together) I've got in the habit of copying the mounting bracket over to a piece of 2" wide aluminum bar stock. I run at least two 1/4x20 screws through and a nylock nut on the back. Sandwich the dashboard material between two pieces of metal and locknuts and it's not likely to go anywhere in any collision that's survivable.

I would have expected no less from you. I've never claimed to be a professional anything but I too learned the hard way years back what would keep a radio in place and what wouldn't. None of mine AFAIK have ever been in an accident but our roads will dislodge anything that is not gonna stay in place. Having the radio fall on your legs in the middle of a response can be...distracting.

mmckenna · Dec 11, 2018

DJ11DLN said:
I would have expected no less from you. I've never claimed to be a professional anything but I too learned the hard way years back what would keep a radio in place and what wouldn't. None of mine AFAIK have ever been in an accident but our roads will dislodge anything that is not gonna stay in place. Having the radio fall on your legs in the middle of a response can be...distracting.

Thanks.
I've got a CDM-1250 mounted under the dash of my Polaris Ranger. I originally had the full RF deck and head under there and set it up with the aluminum bar stock. It got beat pretty hard off road, including a few unintended short flights over the trail whoop-ti-doo's. Never had an issue with it.
A few years ago I did a remote head mount for it. I put the RF deck in the glove box and was able to stick the control head a bit farther back under the dash to keep some of the dirt/dust/water off of it.

I don't think it would have lasted with just sheet metal screws into the plastic. Too much vibration and jolts. Having to fix stuff along the trail is part of the fun, but having to remount a radio, fix broken coaxial cable connectors, etc is avoidable.
On the other hand, if it's someone who just has a radio mounted in their Prius and commute down paved roads and the worst thing they see it a speed bump, then it's probably overkill.

ScannerMan1989 · Dec 11, 2018

Product

Wonder how the SDS100 would hold up in a crash?

Car Radios in a Crash

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