Date:         Mon, 27 Apr 1998 21:56:21 -0700
Reply-To:     Bill <Bill@FREEHOLDER.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Bill <Bill@FREEHOLDER.COM>
Subject:      Re: CRASH WORTHY??
Comments: To: vanagon@vanagon.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Consumer Reports, generally, doesn't like SUVs either, not because of what
happens to them in a wreck, but what happens to the passengers in the other
car.  One of the most important factors in a wreck is the relative weight
of the vehicles involved.  If two vehicles, each going 30 MPH, crash head
on, that's a combined speed of impact of 60 MPH.  However, suppose one
weighs 5000 lbs, and the other weighs 2500 lbs.  The heavier vehicle will
continue forward (at reduced speed) while the lighter vehicle will be
pushed backward.

The result is that for the people in the heavier vehicle, they experience a
sudden 20 MPH or so change in speed, while the people in the lighter
vehicle experience a sudden 40 MPH or so change in speed.  A lot of damage
to passengers results when the car changes speed, but they don't, so they
collide with the interior.  In the above case, the people in the smaller
vehicle have it a lot worse.  In general, the people in the heavier vehicle
will fare better than those in the lighter vehicle.  Vanagons are heavy.

At 09:56 PM 4/27/98 -0600, you wrote:
>It made me wonder how safe are these boxes of delight?? Consumers
>reports had rather nasty things to say about our beloved Vanagons.
Bill (SE Arizona) (Bill@freeholder.com) HTTP://www.freeholder.com
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