How does Crach zones of a car work?

Answer 1

Crash zones (sometimes called crumple zones) of a car work by absorbing the energy of the crash gradually, reducing the impulse (spike in stopping forces) on the driver. Crash zones are built to deliberately bend and crumple the impacted area of the car. The bending and crumpling of the metal slows the car more gradually. The driver feels less intense forces as he is restrained by his seat belt and air bag. (Crash zones do little to help a driver that is not wearing his seat belt, by the way). When designing a crash zone, it is important that the bending and crumpling does not crush the driver or other occupants of the car. Normally a solid safety cage is put around the passenger compartment, and the crash zone is built outside the safety cage. Another consideration is that the crash zone should not allow parts like the steering column to be pushed into the safety cage (which is why steering columns often collapse in a crash too).