Fatal front-impact crash with WRC car

[Wawro]

Hello everyone,
I've got a little argue with my friend and the topic is how high can be the speed of rally car crashing into the tree or wall - front impact (I know that this is kind of big difference) with a proper chance that rally driver will survive that. I guess we can't find any 100% proof answer here, but all opinions are welcomed.

[steveaki13]

Dont know what to say really.

There is no answer to that. I mean a driver could hit a tree at a 100 and survive sometimes and yet could die at 50.

Every crash is different.

[Wawro]

Dont know what to say really.

There is no answer to that. I mean a driver could hit a tree at a 100 and survive sometimes and yet could die at 50.

Every crash is different.

I know, many factors are involved, but let's state here a true story from the past:

"The British Formula One racer David Purley crashed in 1977, his car going from 173 km/h (107 mph) to 0 in only 66 cm (two feet) (which means he hit a wall and the car structure compressed to decelerate him). He broke many bones, but survived. This deceleration of 178 g is believed to be the highest ever survived by a human being."

If such accident would happen with a modern 2014 WRC car, then the odds to survive would be much higher right? I mean deformation zone will be bigger + the space inside of the cage will rapidly decrease the G exposed on the driver.

[D-Type]

Read David Tremayne's The science of safety and then decide how much applies to your case.

[MrJan]

Dont know what to say really.

There is no answer to that. I mean a driver could hit a tree at a 100 and survive sometimes and yet could die at 50.

Every crash is different.

Is the right answer. Too many variables and even in a hypothetical exact scientific test where everything remains the same it's still pretty much impossible to say what speed a modern WRC could hit a wall at.

The modern WRC car is certainly much more advanced than anything of the past, JML's accident in Portugal a few years back proves that, but sudden stopping is something different.