How is the newer cars are more fragile during an accident but are more safe for the passengers

Question

How is the newer cars are more fragile during an accident but are more safe for the passengers

In: Physics

Answer 1

Think of it like this. If you and a friend are carrying a 12ft beam of steel and your friend drops his end, you’re going to feel a serious amount of vibration in your hands. Now if that’s a 12ft beam of glass and your friend drops his end, it’s going to shatter and you won’t feel a thing.

Similarly, if the front of the car crumples, that means that most of the force is spent on crumpling the car and not crumpling your bones.

So a good car will break the car (acting like glass) and not you (acting like steel).