Exactly! The bumper just has to collapse at the proper rate for a high speed crash. Some University showed an experiment where mechanical engineering students were trying to keep an egg on a falling platform from breaking when it hit the ground. No amount of cushioning under the egg kept it from breaking. The egg (just like a person) acquired too much velocity to survive when it stopped suddenly even against a soft pillow surface. A couple of tin cans with their ends cut out when mounted under the platform did the trick, because they collapsed along their long dimension absorbing the energy so the egg didn't have to. I feel frustrated sometimes because it seems like the principles of making a car safer are well known. Unfortunately it would take some clever mechanical design to figure out how to incorporate structures like those tin cans in front of the vanagon. Rob
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