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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!floyd!harpo!ihnp4!ihuxl!seifert
From: seifert@ihuxl.UUCP (D.A. Seifert)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Volvo Owners group
Message-ID: <1024@ihuxl.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 3-Apr-84 09:09:42 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxl.1024
Posted: Tue Apr  3 09:09:42 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 5-Apr-84 01:13:28 EST
References: <1551@tekig1.UUCP>, <13200007@hpfcla.UUCP>, <886@ssc-vax.UUCP>, <256@beesvax.UUCP> <1370@aluxe.UUCP> <394@bnl.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 22

> And all that safety-steel-cage-so-your-kids-don't-get-mashed
> stuff is fine, but they still crumple up like so much tinfoil
> when you bash them.

Hate to tell you this, but it's precisely *because* they crumple
up that they're safe.  The sheet metal is designed to crumple
in such a way so as to *absorb* as much energy as possible, so
as to keep the deceleration under 40G or so. You'll note that
it's only the ends that crumple, the passenger compartment is
designed to *not* squash.

The bad news is that the sheet metal also crumples up in a 10 mph
accident when it really isn't necessary.  Maybe with enough
computer time devoted to optimising this, we'll eventually
have the best of both worlds.  For now, I'll choose the safety
and piece of mind of a european sedan, thank you.
-- 
		_____
	       /_____\	    From the official doghouse of the '84 Olympics,
	      /_______\			Snoopy
		|___|	
	    ____|___|_____	    ihnp4!ihuxl!seifert