Angle
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The angle at which two vehicles collide can make a significant difference in the outcome.
Why are side-impact crashes often more dangerous than front or rear-end collisions? How does the direction of force influence injury risk and vehicle damage?
Understanding the role of impact angles helps drivers recognize hazardous scenarios and make safer decisions in traffic. From T-bone crashes at intersections to glancing blows on highways, what determines how severe a crash will be?
This page explores how different collision angles affect crash dynamics, and what drivers can do to avoid the most dangerous types of impacts.
With regards to driving, we are mainly interested in two types of angles:
180°:
This is where a vehicle impacts another object head on and is the worst-case scenario as the energy is completely absorbed by the objects involved in the collision.
If there is no other choice but a head on collision, then try to hit the object off-center of your vehicle. The more the impact is to the one side of the vehicle, the more the energy of the impact will be used in spinning the vehicle.
Non 180°:
If it is unavoidable to impact another object, always try to do so at an angle and not head on because the energy will then be dissipated into the movement of the vehicle into a different direction.
The narrower the angle of impact between the two vehicles, the less the danger is, ranging from 0° (parallel, same direction and no danger), to the worst 180° (head on).
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