Photo: When speed becomes deadly (Getty Images) Author: Konstantin Shirokun
According to accident statistics, one of the most common causes of accidents is speeding by the driver. And what is speeding in relation to – what speed is considered safe?
Read about the speed limits at which a collision will not be fatal in the RBC-Ukraine article.
To be honest, the question in the title is a complete provocation: if an accident has occurred, then the speed was already dangerous. But in our time, no one will drive at the limit of several kilometers per hour, when an accident can be avoided in principle. Therefore, both car manufacturers and legislators of all countries are trying to establish in practice speeds that would be safe when an accident has already occurred – so that people are not killed or seriously injured in it.
What speed is deadly in an accident?
No one will name specific values of some safe limit, although it is understandable that automobile designers are guided by some figures. For example, one of the leading European automakers, when it once proclaimed a promise that in a conditional 20 years not a single person would die in its cars, made a footnote, as they say, in small print: if the car does not move faster than 80 km/h. And it should be recognized that this would be a very good result, because there are many factors influencing the consequences of an accident, and the speed of the car itself is only one of them.
One way or another, experts in traffic safety and human physiology have come up with more or less precise values for the deadly speed of a car.
Pedestrian
A person who is not protected by any vehicle is injured both by hitting the car and by hitting the asphalt or roadside objects. Remember that the Euro NCAP testing institute adds safety stars to those models that hold a pedestrian on their hood after an impact. It has been found that it is very difficult for a person to survive after being hit by a car moving faster than 40 km/h. And only 15% of pedestrians injured in this way survive a hit by a car moving at 60 km/h.
Cyclist
A person sitting a meter above the road will have an even harder time surviving a collision with a car than a pedestrian. Because the fall to the asphalt is higher and the chances of hitting the wheels of other cars are higher. In short, to cause fatal injuries to a cyclist, a car only needs to hit him at a speed of 40 – 50 km/h.
Motorcyclist
A motorcyclist gets serious injuries not so much from falling on the asphalt, but as a result of his “ricochet” on other cars or roadside infrastructure. And this is provided that the motorcyclist has a helmet on his head. Therefore, for a biker, much depends on the situation on the road and his own speed. However, even if he is standing still, a collision with him by a car moving at 60 km/h will be enough for a sad ending.
People in the car
For a passenger car crew, the result is, oddly enough, the least predictable. After all, a driver can quietly creep along at 50 km/h and accidentally fly into oncoming traffic, where he will cross paths with a tractor that honestly holds its permitted 40 km/h. And the total approach speed of 90 km/h will be enough for a big disaster. Or you can “kiss” a parked bus at the same 50 km/h and not get a single scratch. More severe conditions are in the case of a side collision: at 65 km/h, only 15% of drivers and passengers survive in a car. In short, it is easier to survive in a car even at high speed, but the average speed of a typical car is also high. Let us emphasize that here we are talking only about people who wear seat belts.
In brief
In conclusion, we would like to remind you once again that speed affects not only the consequences of an accident, but also its cause. After all, the higher the speed, the higher the probability of an accident. Because a fast-moving car is harder for other road users to notice on the road, and it is also harder for the driver to stop it. And a driver in a hurry also has less time to notice the danger and react to it. So when getting behind the wheel, remember these nuances and the responsibility you take on, including for the passengers of your own car.
The article was prepared using materials from Autocentre, Motor and Euro NCAP.
Let us recall that RBC-Ukraine recently reported why pedestrians are not always right.