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The 'Moose test', also known as the 'Elk test', ''Älgtest'' in Swedish, has been used in Sweden for decades to test how a certain vehicle, usually an automobile, acts when avoiding a sudden danger, such as a moose.
The test is made on dry pavement. Traffic cones are set up in an S shape to simulate the obstacle, the road and its edges. The car which is going to be tested has one belted person at each available seat and weights in the trunk to achieve maximum load. When the driver comes onto the track, he quickly swerves into the oncoming lane to avoid the object and then immediately swerves back to avoid oncoming traffic. The test is repeated with an increased speed until the car skids down the cones or spins around. This usually happens at speeds of about 70-80 km/h (45-50 mph) in the best cases.
The test became widely known in 1997 when journalists from the Swedish motor magazine Teknikens Värld overturned the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class in the moose test, while a Trabant — a much older, and widely mocked car from the former German Democratic Republic — managed it perfectly.^[1] The Dacia Logan appeared initially to fail the test, but a later investigation concluded that excessive testing had worn the car's tires to failure.
The test was important in the popularization of Electronic Stability Control.
The name 'Moose test' (German 'Elchtest') was invented by German journalists after this event, with regards to the scenario of an elk on the road, which is a likely occurrence in Sweden but not in Germany. The safety implications of stability under such conditions are, nonetheless, important. The term has since then become popular with German journalists in various meanings, for example for friendly matches (German:''Freundschaftsspiel'' or ''Testspiel'') of the football national team against Sweden.
The term ''Moose test'' is also used in a more general sense to refer to any stringent test of the quality of a product.

Contents

SAAB elk test

See also

References

SAAB elk test

In the case of Saab cars, the 'moose test' includes crash testing with a 'model' elk, which is made with similar weight, centre of gravity and dimensions to a live moose, so that it is a fair simulation. This version of the test came about due to moose collisions being an extremely common occurrence in Sweden, and Saab's desire to test this real-life safety situation. As a result, Saab cars have a reinforced windshield surround, to prevent an elk's entry to the passenger compartment during a collision.

See also

★ Crash test

References

1. http://www.drive.com.au/editorial/article.aspx?id=9679&vf=1