3 ms·
The article does discuss one of the main causes - safety. If you require various crumple/impact zones for safety reasons, which are usually all about controlli
by gertrunde 3y ago
The article does discuss one of the main causes - safety.
If you require various crumple/impact zones for safety reasons, which are usually all about controlling the impact deceleration over a longer period of time, i.e. less g-force on the occupants etc, then the relevant car parts get larger. Doors get thicker, front and back get extended etc.
I suspect it would be quite difficult to walk back those changes, so it may be better to roll with them a little, and dictate better minimum sizes for car parking spaces. (Which might dovetail quite nicely with the increased weight of electric cars - which apparently causes issues with multi-storey parking structures which are designed around lighter cars, and may not be structurally safe if filled to capacity with vehicles 50-100% heavier than expected).
(Not counting the truly ludicrous outliers - like the mentioned EV Hummer and Rolls Royce etc).
- DrScientist 3y agoYou can get an older reasonably sized car which has an NCAP rating of 5. Note bigger cars will have more mass and thus momentum & energy to dissipate, might be less nimble and certainly in the early days of SUV types were easier to roll.
- therealchiggs 3y agoIt's worth noting that NCAP ratings aren't necessarily comparable over time. New tests are periodically introduced and they generally become more stringent[1]. A 5-star car from 2015 is likely to be significantly less safe than a 5-star car from 2023. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro_NCAP#Rating_history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro_NCAP#Rating_history
- DrScientist 3y agoFair point.
- yrro 3y agoE = 1/2 m v^2 Drive slower and everyone is safer