Quote:
Originally Posted by a_Username
The airbags should have deployed, IMO. You were going 60MPH and this looks to be a little more than a fender-bender. However, you should feel lucky you weren't hurt.
|
Our resident automotive engineer gave an explanation as to why it may look worse than it is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by a_Username
I'm not saying he should sue, but from the looks of the damages its apparent the airbags should have deployed. This wasn't your average fender-bender, considering the guy hit another car in the rear while going 60MPH.
|
Looks like the front end absorbed a lot of energy to me, and the more energy it soaks up, the slower the car decelerates. And once the g-load is below a certain threshold, the airbags won't go off.
I can hit a car while going 100 mph, and not feel a thing ... if he is going 99 mph in the same direction. If they were going the other way at 100 mph I'd probably be dead. Your speed doesn't matter too much. Its the difference between your speed and whatever you hit thats important.
I don't know the all the details here, but the OP was going 60 mph. When the car in front had slammed on their brakes, they might have slowed down to say 45 mph and by the time the OP reacted he could only slow down to 55. A 10 mph crash is still fairly significant but likely below the threshold for setting off an airbag.