Seat Belts
Buckle Your Seat Belts
Do you know what happens in the first fatal second after a car going 55 miles per hour hits a solid object?
1. In the first tenth of a second, the front bumper and grill collapse.
2. The second tenth finds the hood crumbling, rising and striking the windshield as the spinning rear wheels lift from the ground. Simultaneously, fenders begin wrapping themselves around the solid object. Although the car's frame has been halted, the rest of the car IS STILL GOING 55 MILES PER HOUR. Instinct causes the driver to stiffen his legs against the crash, and they snap at the knee joint.
3. During the third tenth of the second, the steering wheel starts to disintegrate and the steering column aims for the driver's chest.
4. The fourth tenth of the second finds two feet of the car's front end wrecked, while the rear end still moves at 35 miles per hour. The driver's body is still traveling at 55 miles per hour.
5. In the fifth tenth of a second, the driver is impaled on the steering column, and blood rushes into his lungs.
6. The sixth tenth of a second, the impact has built up to the point that the driver's feet are ripped out of tightly laced shoes. The brake pedal breaks off. The car frame buckles in the middle. The driver's head smashes into the windshield as the rear wheels, still spinning, fall back to earth.
7. In the seventh tenth of the second, hinges rip loose, doors fly open and the seats break free, striking the driver from behind.
8. The seat striking the driver does not bother him because HE IS ALREADY DEAD. The last three-tenths of the second mean NOTHING to the driver.
By the Georgia Paramedics Against Drunk Drivers
Submitted by Lucille Groat to the Dear Abby column, by Abigail Van Buren, printed in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Thursday, April 11, 1991.
I found this while going through old papers; I got it five years ago when I was taking driver's ed. Buckle your seat belts!
Do you know what happens in the first fatal second after a car going 55 miles per hour hits a solid object?
1. In the first tenth of a second, the front bumper and grill collapse.
2. The second tenth finds the hood crumbling, rising and striking the windshield as the spinning rear wheels lift from the ground. Simultaneously, fenders begin wrapping themselves around the solid object. Although the car's frame has been halted, the rest of the car IS STILL GOING 55 MILES PER HOUR. Instinct causes the driver to stiffen his legs against the crash, and they snap at the knee joint.
3. During the third tenth of the second, the steering wheel starts to disintegrate and the steering column aims for the driver's chest.
4. The fourth tenth of the second finds two feet of the car's front end wrecked, while the rear end still moves at 35 miles per hour. The driver's body is still traveling at 55 miles per hour.
5. In the fifth tenth of a second, the driver is impaled on the steering column, and blood rushes into his lungs.
6. The sixth tenth of a second, the impact has built up to the point that the driver's feet are ripped out of tightly laced shoes. The brake pedal breaks off. The car frame buckles in the middle. The driver's head smashes into the windshield as the rear wheels, still spinning, fall back to earth.
7. In the seventh tenth of the second, hinges rip loose, doors fly open and the seats break free, striking the driver from behind.
8. The seat striking the driver does not bother him because HE IS ALREADY DEAD. The last three-tenths of the second mean NOTHING to the driver.
By the Georgia Paramedics Against Drunk Drivers
Submitted by Lucille Groat to the Dear Abby column, by Abigail Van Buren, printed in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Thursday, April 11, 1991.
I found this while going through old papers; I got it five years ago when I was taking driver's ed. Buckle your seat belts!