Quote:
Originally Posted by FG50T
It's the overuse of large cars on the roads which threaten road safety.
|
Pig's armpit.
Yes, if EVERYTHING on the road was a Jazz, things would be different, but for the foreseeable future we're always going to have trucks & buses. Not to mention the issues with single car accidents involving trees, power poles, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FG50T
The direction of the impact can affect whether weight does or not play a part. Side impacts depends on the structure and weight doesn't play a part.
|
Incorrect actually.
Let me explain it:
The mass of your car effects momentum and therefore acceleration/ deceleration. Up to a point, these are the primary causes of injury. Eg, you hit a tree, your head hits the steering wheel, your head decelerates from 60kph to 0 in a fraction of a second, and your brain splats against the inside of your skull. Alternatively, you are stationary and get hit head on by a truck, and the exact same thing happens.
Structure effects two things. Firstly, you WANT any structure outside the passenger cell to crumple, this absorbs energy and spreads the deceleration over a greater time period. So in a T-bone situation you want a car with thick doors and space between the passengers & doors.
The 2nd aspect is that structure protects the occupants from crush injury, which is where you don't want the passenger cell to crumple. So in a T-bone you want solid pillars and intrusion bars.
It should also be explained that when we talk about "heavier" cars, we mean heavier as a result of being larger and stronger.
If two identical Hynudai Getz collide head-on, and one happens to have 500kg of cement in the boot, the results would be interesting. The heavier car would have less deceleration injuries, but a greater chance of crush injuries.