*** DISCLAIMER ***
I DRIVE AN ALFA WITH LAP BELTS DAILY AND A SPRITE WITH LAP BELTS OTHERWISE, SO
TAKE THE BELOW AS KNOWLEDGE I DON'T ALWAYS APPLY. I ALSO USED TO SMOKE AND I
SOMETIMES RUN WITH SCISSORS
Bob's argument is very valid. In the Traveler vs. the Golf, when it gets hit,
hardly any energy is absorbed. So if you're going, say, 40 mph, when the
Traveller is hit you decelerate at the same rate as the car, and you're
traveling 40 mph into whatever you hit in the car in the secondary impact
(that's what will likely kill you). With crumple zones, the car decelerates
more gradually, and the energy is dissipated in several things rather than just
you. With modern seatbelts and airbags, you are also decelerated and are now
going slower when you hit something going slower, if you can follow that.
As far as a head on collision, believe it or not it's the same as a single car
hitting an immovable object. Twice the energy in the collision taken by twice
as many vehicles in head on, vs. all the energy of the single car taking all
the energy. Moral here is to hit a glancing blow or an immovable object. On the
track, hitting pea gravel head on is your friend as it slows you down while
maintaining some control. Sideways can make you roll. Somewhere Flounder has an
example on the Thicko website of me performing a nice headfirst pea gravel dive.
Ron
--- On Wed, 7/1/09, Kitterer Bob <bkitterer@me.com> wrote:
> Frank,
>
> As much as I like old cars I am sorry but this is not good
> logic. Basic physics tells you that mass will dominate
> but not that it will protect you. If you take two of
> the Packards in a head on collision at 60 mph I will bet
> that you will find engines in the passenger compartments ,
> steering columns in the drivers chest an the passenger half
> way through the fixed windshield.
>
> I use to have a Honda 600 an while waiting to make a turn
> my wife was tail ended by a car doing 45 mph. The collision
> sent her across three lanes, up a 10 inch curb, into the the
> dock bumper of a parked 3/4 ton pick up which got
> moved into the car park next to it. My wife opened the
> door got out with minor bruises and cuts plus all the car
> windows were in tack - - - thanks to crumple zones.
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