Car crashes are a terrifying prospect for any driver or passenger in Georgia. They are a substantial threat to life, health, and a person’s financial well-being. But at a basic level, these events are basically combinations of physics and biology. Knowing more about the science of car crashes can help individuals avoid crashes and remain as safe as possible on the roads.
Biology
One key component of car crashes is biology. Drivers are human beings with imperfect reaction times and sometimes distorted perception. The imperfect nature of human driving causes the vast majority of car accidents. The science of perception can help drivers be safer on the road. For instance, response times decrease rapidly as speed increases. Driving slower allows for more time to react, brake, and avoid accidents. In addition, drowsiness and drug responses harm perception and can increase the chances of an accident. Driving while sober and at times when there are fewer drunk or tired drivers on the roads can decrease the chances of an accident.
Physics
Physics is the other key scientific component of car accidents. An accident involves forces, vectors, and the way that forces affect materials and people. The force of an automobile accident involves thousands of joules that must be absorbed at different points, especially if a car is speeding. One of these points is often the airbag, which deploys at an intense speed to take the impact that a driver or passenger may have otherwise had to take.
Another is the shell, engineered in recent years to crumple. Understanding force can also help guide a car that may be forced to drive into another car or a stationary object. Stationary objects often do not crumple or break and redirect all of the force applied to them back to the driver. Keeping these factors in mind may not end accidents, but it may help slightly lessen their impact and frequency in the long run.
