Head Injury Criterion - Crash Tests

Princess Diana's crash
Diana's smashed car... RIP

I wrote this section just after Princess Diana died.
Notice how the front crumple zone of the Mercedes did its job while the cabin retained its shape. Unfortunately, it was not enough to save her.

Photo source:
american-photo.com (now defunct)

Imagine a car travelling at 48.3 km/h (30 mph). Under normal braking, it will take 1.5 to 2 seconds for the car to come to rest.

But in a crash, the car stops in about 150 ms and the life threatening deceleration peak lasts about 10 ms.

Crash test experiments include the use of dummies, dead bodies, animals and boxers!

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