Shock-absorbing tilt type steering column

A shock-absorbing steering system, comprising:

• 1) a column jacket shaped substantially into a cylinder having a lowermost section, the column jacket defining a center section and a front end side, a space being defined above the column jacket;
• 2) a coupler;
• 3) an upper clamp disposed in the center section of the column jacket, the upper clamp including a pair of a first side wall and a second side wall formed respectively with a first hole and a second hole, the coupler being inserted into the first hole and the second hole, the space defined above the column jacket being defined in the upper clamp, each of the pair of the first side wall and the second side wall having such a height that a lower end thereof is disposed substantially on a level with or higher than the lowermost section of the column jacket when the coupler is disposed in an uppermost position of each of the first hole and the second hole;
• 4) a distance bracket sandwiched between the first side wall and the second side wall of the upper clamp in such a manner as to move upward and downward, the distance bracket coupling with the column jacket, the distance bracket being adapted to engage with the coupler in such a manner as to be disengageable from the coupler in a forward direction of a vehicle when a load greater than an upper limit is applied to the distance bracket axially in a direction along the column jacket, the distance bracket being disposed in the space with the lower end of each of the first side wall and the second side wall disposed substantially on the level with or higher than the lowermost section of the column jacket;
• 5) an energy absorber interposed between the distance bracket and the coupler;
• and
• 6) a lower clamp disposed on the front end side of the column jacket.