That's only really a problem if all that energy is transferred to another object (near) instantaneously - for instance if the vehicle hits a stationary object l

That's only really a problem if all that energy is transferred to another object (near) instantaneously - for instance if the vehicle hits a stationary object like a car waiting at an intersection. Colliding at a relative speed of only a few miles per hour and then hitting the brakes allowed Innes to dissipate that energy in a more controlled way. Risky, certainly, but I don't think it's as risky as you think it is. edit: as an analogy, think about landing a spaceship on a meteorite - it may be moving fast enough to wipe out civilisation as we know it if it hit Earth, but you could still safely stand on its surface. Relative velocity is key.