Answer to Question #91704 in Mechanics | Relativity for Lacey

Question

A head-on collision is the most dangerous type of car collision. Surprisingly the data collected about head-on collisions suggest that the risk (or probability) of fatality to a driver is less if that driver has a passenger in the car. Why is that?

Answer 1

In the case of a head-on collision, an excessive impulse of the vehicle is transmitted to the passengers after stopping. If we assume that the mass of the car in both cases is the same, then the driver’s impulse in the car without passengers will be greater than in the car with passengers because the impulse is shared between passengers. Greater momentum after a collision leads to great injuries.