New Year brings a lot more to a person – starting school, a new job, town relocation, and even that family tour that has been incomplete for more than a year. All these activities involve the usage of a car, especially when you have to commute daily.
Well, you might need a car, which is stylish, comfortable, economic, and gives better performance. On the other hand, there are vehicles like on/off-road. Such vehicles provide the utmost safety and capability to run on any type of surface. Of course, we all think that our car is safe. But has it got a 5-star rating for crash or impact? Does your vehicle have electronic brake force distribution, pretension seat belt, airbag, stability control, etc.? There are a few more features such as automatic emergency brake, blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control, lane keep/ lane departure warning, and a rear-view camera. Whether or not your vehicle has all these features, it’s useful to have a robust 4WD cargo barrier.
When going out of the city with a happy family holiday, what else do you need apart from safety equipment? A cargo barrier – of course – is the one that can help you keep your vehicle safe. In a worst-case scenario such as heavy braking or meeting an accident, will ensure that everything remains at where it should be. A cargo barrier helps you to put as much stuff at the back as you want and it will not even fall forward when you suddenly hit the brakes.
Many drivers have this misconception that a 4×4 Cargo Barrier is hazardous. Some people think that a cargo barrier increases your chances of getting injured or even die in an accident. Is that true? Not exactly!
The unrestrained load can often lead the cargo barrier to dislocate during an accident, which may lead to some serious injuries (depending on the type of stuff you have put behind). Below table shows the estimated weight you should and shouldn’t consider putting right behind the cargo barrier.
| Item | Static Mass | Collision Mass |
| Tool-Box | 15kg | 300kg |
| Gas Bottle | 5kg | 100kg |
| Compressor | 60kg | 1200kg |
| Luggage | 20kg | 400kg |
As shown above, tool-box equal to or more than 300kg can lead to serious injuries. Therefore, you should choose to take the recommended weight 15kg.
You should also avoid:
- Honey pots of 2kg
- Computer equipment
- Circular Saw
- 25kg Rice bags
These things act as a missile when putting behind a cargo barrier.
- To ensure that you get the most out of your cargo barrier, follow below tips:
- Prefer placing heavy luggage on the boot floor against the backrest
- Tie-down the luggage with robust straps or ropes
- When there is no back passenger, engage the seatbelts to keep the backrest in place and protected.
For utmost safety, you can go for 4wd drawers as well. It will help you organise stuff right behind and you can drive freely.
That’s how a 4×4 drawer can be protective and hazardous at the same time. The verdict of the above discussion is that if you know how to use a barrier and are aware of the weight limits, it’s safe to use it for any type of travelling.
