It’s always struck me as odd that crumple zones help absorb impacts which makes cars safer. Yet race cars have roll cages which make them safer.
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I’ll try to keep it simple. For the everyday person, convenience is a key factor. So getting into a car and clicking one buckle for a three point harness is simple and works to a certain degree. The crumble zones help this simple three point harness keep you safe from a hard impact while the car crumbles. When it comes to a race car with a cage, they will have a harness that is either 4-6 points that brace the driver against the seat. This allows a cage to take the full force of impact while the driver remains secured safely in their harness.
This really dives into a big bag of things. Roll cages are extremely rigid structures. If you were in a car that had a roll cage wearing a regular seatbelt you would most likely suffer extreme injury from hitting your head on the roll bar. If you did not hit the roll bar you would probably submarine. A race car driver is wearing a 5 point harness, a HANS device and most critically a helmet. When they get in an accident the cage is crush proof but they are kind of along for the ride. They physically CANNOT move to hit their head or “submarine” downwards. A consumer car has crumple zones to deflect the energy from the impact around the cabin while the airbags hold you in place.
TLDR: Roll cages are inherently dangerous in a road car without other safety equipment. Road cars are designed to be as safe as possible for the average consumer without the need for additional equipment.
Race cars do have crumple zones, except that they are not on the race car! If you look at a racetrack you’ll often see stacks and stacks of tires around barriers. They do the same thing a crumple zone does but it costs less to repair and the racecar is easier to repair than a totaled roadcar. It’s basically just straightening a few tubes and aligning everything.
Similar idea to those water barrels on highways
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