What does SICE mean in UNCLASSIFIED

SICE stands for Side Impact Collision Evaluation. This form of evaluation is used to determine the potential harm that a vehicle occupant may suffer during a side impact collision. The evaluation involves comprehensive testing of the vehicle to measure occupant protection, ease of evacuation and other factors related to safety.

SICE testing is conducted with a physical crash test dummy placed in the vehicle. The dummy mimics the size and weight of an average adult, allowing quantitative results to be measured when subjected to various levels of force. After the test has been completed, an assessment is made based on how much force was absorbed by the dummy and how it may affect an actual human body in a similar situation.

SICE evaluates several key safety components, including airbag deployment and efficacy, body structure integrity, head-restraint design and seatbelt properties such as length and strength. All these elements are taken into account to analyze how well they protect occupants from injury during side impacts.

If you drive regularly and your car is more than five years old, it's recommended that you have your car tested using SICE at least once every two years. This will help ensure that your vehicle meets current safety standards so you won't be putting yourself at increased risk for injury should you ever be involved in a side impact collision.

While SICE testing can provide insight into the capability of your vehicle's safety features during a side impact collision, there are other factors that play an important role in occupant safety such as following speed limits, avoiding distractions while driving, wearing seatbelts correctly and ensuring that child seats are properly installed according to their age/weight guidelines. It is also worth noting that certain cars may have higher base safety ratings compared to others even if they're not tested using SICE or similar standards.

While costs can vary depending on where you take your car for testing, generally speaking getting your car evaluated according to SICE standards isn't particularly expensive compared to other forms of mechanical maintenance such as oil changes or tire rotations. It's definitely worth considering as part of your regular automotive care regimen for peace of mind.

Generally speaking there aren't any warning signs needed prior to submitting your car for testing via the SIDE standard; however it's always best practice to conduct routine inspections on all components from time-to-time (as part of regular automotive maintenance). Doing this will help identify any potential issues with brakes or steering components so they can be addressed before being subject to extreme forces during a crash test scenario.

When shopping around for new cars definitely consider models which score highly when evaluated using the SI CE standard; however don’t forget about other important factors such as fuel economy or comfort which could suit your lifestyle better regardless of their crash rating. All these considerations need balanced when making purchasing decisions.