The Safety of Bumper Cars
The Fremont Fair came and went a few weeks ago, and as part of it a local group went around asking
fair goers how they would make the world better. I kind of expected a little more, and was a tad surprised there weren't calls for more nude bike rides (nsfw), but one entry got me thinking. The premise of there being bumper cars on the highway had me wondering why we don't have more drastic forms of shock absorption in cars.
I know bumpers are designed to absorb shock, but in doing this they are also designed to break. Why don't all cars have a rubber bumper around them at roughly the same height? The wonder of rubber is is absorbs energy from an impact by stretching instead of breaking. An inflated bumper might work also. I have no doubt it'd make cars look a little silly, but safety affects the aesthetic of cars already. And if all cars had them, then we're all in the same boat.
If you have an idea, let me know.
As an added tidbit, I have a friend who once suggested that if we want real driving safety, we should require cars to come with a spike sticking out of the steering wheel. People would be inclined to drive slowly given the consequences of a high speed accident. Perhaps a tad drastic.
fair goers how they would make the world better. I kind of expected a little more, and was a tad surprised there weren't calls for more nude bike rides (nsfw), but one entry got me thinking. The premise of there being bumper cars on the highway had me wondering why we don't have more drastic forms of shock absorption in cars.
I know bumpers are designed to absorb shock, but in doing this they are also designed to break. Why don't all cars have a rubber bumper around them at roughly the same height? The wonder of rubber is is absorbs energy from an impact by stretching instead of breaking. An inflated bumper might work also. I have no doubt it'd make cars look a little silly, but safety affects the aesthetic of cars already. And if all cars had them, then we're all in the same boat.
If you have an idea, let me know.
As an added tidbit, I have a friend who once suggested that if we want real driving safety, we should require cars to come with a spike sticking out of the steering wheel. People would be inclined to drive slowly given the consequences of a high speed accident. Perhaps a tad drastic.