How is the newer cars are more fragile during an accident but are more safe for the passengers
In: Physics
If you are talking about how cars “crumple” more, the number one cause of death in an accident isn’t being crushed, it’s the sudden jolt and hitting the car itself. Sturdy cars might survive a collision with little damage to themselves but in doing so, they transfer all that momentum into the passengers. By allowing the car to crumple more easily, it makes the actual stop less sudden and thus less lethal. All that kinetic energy goes into the car rather than you. Think falling onto concrete over falling into water. Yes, at a point, they are both fatal, but that point comes sooner to concrete than water. That’s because concrete has no “give” and stops you all at once while water stops you slowly over time, thus you don’t feel those intense, fatal g-forces.
Note that these cars are also built with cages around the passenger and drivers seat to prevent a car from crumpling you death, so there is a sturdy part of the car protecting you.
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