Chapter 5, Problem 87PP

BIO Increasing Safety in a Collision

Safety experts say trial an automobile accident is really a succession of three separate collisions. (1) the automobile collides with an obstacle and comes to rest; (2) people within the car continue to move forward until they collide with the interior of the car, or are brought to rest by a restraint system like a seatbelt or an air bag and (3) organs within the occupants bodies continue to move forward until they collide with the body wail and are brought to rest. Not much can be done about the third collision, but the effects of the first two can be mitigated by increasing the distance over which the car and its occupants are brought to rest

For example, the severity of the first collision is reduced by building collapsible “crumple zones” into the body of a car, and by placing compressible collision barriers near dangerous obstacles like bridge supports. The second collision is addressed primarily through the use of seatbelts and air bags. These devices reduce the force that acts on an occupant to survivable levels by increasing the distance over which he or she comes to rest. This is illustrated in Figure 5-47, where we see the force exerted on a 65.0-kg driver who slows from an initial speed of 18.0 m/s (lower curve) or 36.0 m/s (upper curve) to rest in a distance ranging from 5.00 cm to 1.00 m.

87. •• The combination of "crumple zones" and air bags/seatbelts might increase the distance over which a person stops in a collision to as great as 1.00 m. What is the magnitude of the force exerted on a 65.0-kg driver who decelerates from 18.0 m/s to 0.00 m/s over a distance of 1.00 m?

1. A.    162 N
2. B.     565 N
3. C.     1.05 × 10⁴N
4. D.    2.11 × 10⁴N