Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Mechanic
Ever seen a car hit by another car going 120 MPH? I remember a Road Runner (stolen) that was in a head on at 120 combined.
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Physics again. Head on subjects the passengers to different forces than being hit from behind. In a front end, the car(s) stop, but the passengers keep going until they strike dash, windshield, etc. (That's why seat belts & air bags.) In a rear-ender, you are (with luck) pressed back into your fairly form-fitting, supportive bucket seat by an acceleration of several dozen G, which is quite survivable.
Should be fairly easy to think of "egg in a box" experiments which demonstrate this. After all, why are eggs sold in flimsy cardboard cartons which cushion each individual egg, instead of loose inside strong metal boxes?