In driving class you may have observed clips of car crashes, but these cars were going only 30 mph. If a driver is not wearing a seat belt and if the car doesn’t have an airbag, then when a car traveling at 55 mph hits a solid object, the following occurs:
* 0.1 sec. – The front bumper and grill collapse.
* 0.2 sec. – The hood crumples, rises and strikes the windshield. Spinning rear wheels lift from the ground. Fenders begin to wrap themselves around the solid objects. Instinct causes the driver to stiffen his legs against the impending crash. They snap at the knee joint. The passenger compartment is still going 55 mph.
* 0.3 sec. – The steering wheel starts to disintegrate and the steering column aims for the driver’s chest.
* 0.4 sec. – At this point, 2 feet of the car’s front is wrecked, the rear is still moving at 35 mph. The driver’s body is sliding forward at 55 mph.
* 0.5 sec. – The driver is impaled on the steering column. The blood rushes into his lungs.
* 0.6 sec. – The driver’s feet are ripped out of tightly-laced shoes. The brake pedal snaps off. The car frame buckles in the middle. The driver’s head smashes into the windshield. The rear wheels, still spinning, fall back to the ground.
* 0.7 sec. – Hinges rip loose, doors fly open, and the seats break free striking the driver from behind.
* 0.8 sec. – The seat striking the driver does not bother him because he is already dead.
* 0.9 sec. – to 1.2 sec. – The last 3 tenths of a second mean nothing to the driver.
Parent Tip: Enroll your child into a Defensive Driving course – they are low-cost, will teach life-saving skills behind the wheels and most insurance companies offer discounts for drivers who have completed a Defensive Driving course.
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