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Is a higher or lower impulse better for car crashes?

Why are car crashes worse than race car crashes?

  • I know that in every car crash there are 3 collisions: the initial crash, contact between your body and the car, and contact between your organs and your chest cavity. Now race cars are made of rigid steel frames that don't really crush in the event of an impact and they don't have airbags unlike regular cars that have crush zones and advanced airbag technology. Therefore the first two collisions transfer all their energy to the third while in a race car. But how come many more race car drivers survive crashes at 100 miles an hour while a crash at that speed in a regular car is very likely to be fatal?

  • Answer:

    Race cars are meant to absorb energy, but in different ways than ours. As far as air bags, the restraint systems used in motor-sports are much better at keeping the occupants from moving around inside the car. Also many times the barriers are also designed to absorb impact energy on race tracks. The drivers compartment of the race car is the only truly rigid part of the chassis, with all the structure surrounding built to give in the event of crash. This is especially visible in Indy car or F-1 crashes, where most of the car will near literally disappear, leaving just the cockpit.

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Race cars are built to destroy themselves in the event of a crash. Passenger cars are built to be repaired and so have specific crumple zones. If a race car hits the wall, or another car, or whatever, the car itself is the crumple zone. The driver sits inside a cage and is strapped into a rigid seat that is firmly attached to the cage. Race cars aren't built for the convenience of daily driving, getting in and out constantly and have a limited life.

Daniel C

First of all, race car safety technology is FAR SUPERIOR to anything you or I drive! It's not true that they don't have crumple zones; the outter portions of the car absorb impact and can get torn away while the roll cage (or "bathtub" in F1) protects the driver from further disintegration. Also, you and I can flop around in our seat during a crash while the race driver is completely strapped in. Their body doesn't bang around like ours would. Also, they have neck and body braces that you and I lack and while we are wearing jeans and a T shirt, they have full Nomex fire-proof suits and head masks.

jle4044

Race cars have much more safety equipment than you think. They all wear fire retardant suits, helmets, neck braces/HANS device, a multi-point harness system, and bucket seats. All of this equipment keeps the driver in place during a crash. In standard cars, even though there are crash points and many air bags, the driver/passengers will all move a certain amount upon impact. At high speeds this creates the whiplash effect. Body parts will flail around hitting other objects. The race car drivers don't experience this because they are strapped down so tightly.

dude_man05

the cars are made more rigid. At 35-40 MPH the speed they do crash tests, our cars just fall apart.

atlien

Because of the seat belts. You are so strapped in --in a race car that you can hardly move.Plus the neck brace holding your head in one position. Face it if you were that strapped in--in your personal vehicle you wouldn't wear the seat belts.

Cubby

lol a lot of these people don't understand the question... I'd say the barriers absorb a lot of the impact and although the race cars are built rigid they still do absorb impacts.

Ende

Race cars all go the same way, so there is no chance of a head-on or right-angle collision. They usually hit at glancing angles instead.

rapierlynx

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