Audi Glossary  Safety Steering Column  Earlier accident studies
have shown that a rigid steering column represents a special
danger to the driver. Since the 1960s there have been various
designs to reduce the risk of injury. Steering columns today
have a joint so that they can yield in an impact; newer safety
steering columns are able to "absorb" impact energy. A special
case in point was the “procon-ten” system, which pulled the
steering column and steering wheel forward, away from the
driver.  Since the introduction of the airbag, the steering
column’s job has become more complex. It has to supplement the
protective potential of the safety belt and the airbag.
Telescoping linkages and additional joints largely uncouple
steering wheel movement from bulkhead deformation. If the impact
does not exceed a certain severity, the steering wheel and the
airbag remain in a defined position in front of the driver. An
integrated sliding mechanism with a damping function reduces the
loads on the chest and head to the ex