Reported April 2008

REDESIGNING CARS: Cars with crumple zones act more like springs being compressed against the wall, resulting in a cushioning effect, slowing the time it takes for the car to come to a complete stop and spreading the force over a longer period of time, with less potential for injury. As the car strikes the wall, the front crushes together like an accordion, absorbing the impact and allowing the middle and rear of the car to continue in motion for a short time. By making the time of impact one-tenth of a second longer, engineers can reduce the crash force by 20 times.

RISKS OF SPEEDING: Almost everyone goes a few miles over the speed limit when driving, but recent studies indicate that even a small increase over the legal limit can greatly increase the risk of an accident. Using data from actual road crashes, scientists at the University of Adelaide in Australia found the risk of a car crash hospitalizing or killing people doubled for every five km/h above 60 km/h. For example, a car traveling 65 km/h was twice as likely to be involved in a serious or fatal crash, while one traveling at 70 km/h had a risk four times as high. Part of that reason is a driver has less time to react. On average, drivers react in 1.5 seconds. Someone who is drunk or distracted by loud music or talking on a cell phone may take as long as three seconds to react. Also, the faster someone is traveling, the less time they have to react to a perceived danger.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Joan K. Ziemba
Director, Virginia Campus Corporate and Community Relations
The George Washington University
(703) 726-3651
jziemba@va.gwu.edu

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