The Mini Cooper does seem to be pretty good at taking a hard impact; I've rear-ended one at a pretty good clip in an old Tercel (admittedly my fault for following too close on wet pavement- lesson learned: got to allow enough following space for distracted drivers with ABS to glance up from the cellphone readout and panic-stop for a nonexistent red light). The Tercel looked like it had hit a brick wall, while the rear bumper of the Mini looked like a brisk scrubbing with a scouring pad would remove any signs of damage.
@Murilee Martin: It doesn't sound to me like you actually have learned your lesson, actually. In my mind there's no excuse for hitting someone from behind. You weren't following at a safe distance, you weren't paying attention, and you weren't in control of your vehicle. Case. Closed.
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was starred
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was unstarred
@Mike the Dog: "..We (as superior drivers) must always remain extra vigilant for the impending moronic actions of the great unwashed. Never forget this..."
@kg23: The only excuse for it (if you can call it one) is just not seeing the light. I've encountered my share of confusing traffic lights that don't appear to apply to the road/lane/street you're on/in. (There's a nice one in, I believe, Westminster, MA.)
@bzr loves you long time: Do you think that if Bruce Lee had not died, we would be now commenting on his campy television series "Mr. Chang, Hong-Kong Special Police Officer"
When I was 18 I smashed my '92 Integra in a head-on accident with an Expedition. I got thrown into the seatbelt so hard that it snapped my left collarbone. That and a few bruises were my only injuries though. The front end was completely smashed but the passenger compartment was intact. From the A-pillar back you wouldn't know it was in an accident at all. Crumple zones work.
Why am I expecting an interview from the MINI something like you hear from sport celebrities?
"Well, you know Jim, I feel pretty good about it, I think a lot of people going into this fight thought that I was mismatched. I heard from a lot of you media types that it was a fight I couldn't win, that I was in over my head. In some ways, I guess they were right, but you know, I spent a lot more time in development than my opponent. I made sure to surround myself with the best engineers, trainers, and researchers, and I tried to do everything they told me. You know, I think it just comes down to a lot of hard work and time invested. I know some people are going to say I was just lucky, but my dad always told me, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. I'd like to thank John Cooper, really, he's responsible for making me who I am today, and also thank my sponsor, BMW. You know what they say, Jim, they're the Ultimate Driving Machine. And if my wife, Rolls, is watching, I love you honey, I'll be home soon."
@tenbeers: The nice clear view of the suspension and drivetrain shows very little if any damage to anything but the bodywork on the Tahoe. If was mine I'd have the tow truck pull it back over and see if I could drive it home for the insurance company to sort it out.
@Elhigh: When I first got my Coupe Z, my wife took one look at it and said, "There is ABSOLUTELY no way I'm letting you put the kids in that thing!" I told her while pointing at the driver's seat, "The most important safety feature in ANY car sits right there."
@coupeZ600: There's still nothing you can do to avoid idiots, no matter how good of a driver you are. Sometimes the cards just don't fall in your favor.
Hence why I'll never ride a motorcycle cross-country.
@bagseed: Generalizing a group of people as idiots while failing to punctuate or capitalize your sentence doesn't really make for a convincing argument.
@Deck the halls with unevolved?: Of course, that equation doesn't really say anything. Yes, the bigger vehicle has more energy.
No, that doesn't mean it's going to cope better. It's a bit like them old malaise era cars. When you are the crumple zone, you're the one who will lose, no matter what.
It has a LOT more to do with design and how efficient the car is at dissipating it around you.
@Grive: You keep your seriousness out of this. I was making a point.
Bigger usually equals safer. If you weigh 6000 pounds and hit an object that weighs 3000 pounds coming the opposite direction at the same speed, you're going to have a 50% reduction in speed, while the other vehicle is going to have a 150% reduction in speed. Less energy to dissipate.
See, that's the problem with us engineers. We use equations like everyday words (here, as a generalization) and forget there are normal people out there in the real world.
@Deck the halls with unevolved?: Strangely for engineer you use extremely idealized collision... What Grive points out works in engineering very well (and I might be alive due to that factor): if collision is not ideally elastic parts of each vehicle can absorb kinetic energy and store it in form of deformation. So, if my 1600 lbs Honda CRX is able to convert huge amounts of kinetic energy in deformation and in the same time direct that deformation away from the passenger compartment I can happily survive collision with the 30000 lbs jacknifed tractor-trailer. As I did. Without any injury. And was able to open driver side door properly, while the rest of the car was destroyed and crumpled to a fraction of its previous size. That is how good safety engineering works on small cars.
@alowishus: not really a fair test. Try crashing a large modern car against a small modern car and see how they fair. I think you'd find that a large car with similar safety equipment and design would do better.
@alowishus: About which part was I so terribly wrong? Are you saying 1/2mv^2 is inaccurate? Or did you just feel like jumping in the middle of the conversation to prove us wrong with the internet.
@dusanmal: You might as well think of it as a partially inelastic collision where each vehicle will have to dissipate a fairly equal amount of energy. The smaller car will certainly "bounce" more, which will cause the occupants to see higher accelerations. High accelerations rarely result in decapitation or broken limbs, however - these are usually caused by vehicular deformation compromising the passenger cabin. Presumably, if each vehicle were required to dissipate the same amount of energy through inelastic deformation, the larger vehicle should be able to achieve this with less deformation, validating the point that a 6000 lb vehicle is safer than a 3000 lb vehicle. This only holds as long as the larger vehicle is actually designed to dissipate energy as well as the smaller vehicle. In addition, it ignores the probability of rolling, etc... For my money, I'd go with the smaller, shorter, better designed vehicle - less chance of rolling and better chassis dynamics would help keep you out of a collision, while a nice unibody frame with crumple zones as well as a full compliment of air-bags will keep you safe if you do get in an accident. That's the problem with engineering though - you have to be able to gauge which factors are important and how to properly estimate their effects. Your inelastic collision sounds more like freshman physics than engineering...
@nataku83: While high accelerations may not cause decapitation or amputation of limbs, they are responsible for the majority of internal organ injuries such as liver/spleen laceration or contusion, and rupture of the aorta, which is a common cause of death in frontal impact collisions. (Used to work in the state Medical Examiners office long times ago. Saw lots of MVA deaths.)
11/25/08
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11/25/08
We (as superior drivers) must always remain extra vigilant for the impending moronic actions of the great unwashed. Never forget this.
11/25/08
Well said.
11/25/08
11/24/08
Tallyho, Tahoe!
11/24/08
11/25/08
11/24/08
Great. A ticket. That'll learn 'em!
What about "The driver of the Tahoe instantly lost their license for 12 months for gross negligence."
Red light running is ridiculous.
11/25/08
11/24/08
Apt.
Oh, and there's this:
11/24/08
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11/24/08
"Well, you know Jim, I feel pretty good about it, I think a lot of people going into this fight thought that I was mismatched. I heard from a lot of you media types that it was a fight I couldn't win, that I was in over my head. In some ways, I guess they were right, but you know, I spent a lot more time in development than my opponent. I made sure to surround myself with the best engineers, trainers, and researchers, and I tried to do everything they told me. You know, I think it just comes down to a lot of hard work and time invested. I know some people are going to say I was just lucky, but my dad always told me, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. I'd like to thank John Cooper, really, he's responsible for making me who I am today, and also thank my sponsor, BMW. You know what they say, Jim, they're the Ultimate Driving Machine. And if my wife, Rolls, is watching, I love you honey, I'll be home soon."
11/24/08
11/25/08
11/25/08
11/26/08
*thump*zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
11/24/08
though I'd bet that tahoe, once kicked back over onto its wheels, could drive away.
11/24/08
11/25/08
11/24/08
Also, this.
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11/24/08
I think this is how Yukotahoburbalade drivers picture themselves, subconsciously.
...until they have to pay attention to the road to avoid flipping over and dying.
11/24/08
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11/24/08
It's all about whether there's an inattentive dumbass coming toward you.
11/24/08
11/24/08
Hence why I'll never ride a motorcycle cross-country.
11/24/08
Cross country isn't dangerous. It's city/freeway traffic that kills.
11/24/08
11/24/08
Just sayin'.
11/24/08
11/24/08
english is a living language
11/24/08
Not when you're done with it, it's not.
Although I like your sense of humor. I clicked that little heart thingy. Does that mean we're married now?
11/25/08
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11/24/08
6,ooolb curb weight cars: 8,455,123
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11/24/08
No, that doesn't mean it's going to cope better. It's a bit like them old malaise era cars. When you are the crumple zone, you're the one who will lose, no matter what.
It has a LOT more to do with design and how efficient the car is at dissipating it around you.
11/24/08
Bigger usually equals safer. If you weigh 6000 pounds and hit an object that weighs 3000 pounds coming the opposite direction at the same speed, you're going to have a 50% reduction in speed, while the other vehicle is going to have a 150% reduction in speed. Less energy to dissipate.
See, that's the problem with us engineers. We use equations like everyday words (here, as a generalization) and forget there are normal people out there in the real world.
11/24/08
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11/25/08
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11/26/08
Reality check:
Usually =/ Universally
11/26/08
It's like saying e=mc^2. Where's my Mr. Fusion, bitch?
11/24/08