Impact forces are a function of both weight and speed.

Force = Mass * Velocity.

A Fit weighs 2500 lbs

an H2 hummer weighs 6000lbs

6000 lbs x 55 mph = 330000 (h2 hummer impact force)

330000 = Zmph(2500lbs)

Z = 132mph

Therefore

An H2 Hummer traveling the speed limit at 55 mph is as great a threat on the road as a Honda Fit traveling 132mph.

Furthermore the H2 hummer is likely driven by a non-ethusiast presented with multiple distractions. The driver of the Fit at 132 mph is paying attention to the road.

Make what you will of that.

I demand weight based speed limits!

EDIT: JUNK PHYSICS

 

actually F = m*A^2
If you're not accelerating there is zero force at work

I think what you're looking for is kinetic energy. where where is the mass and is the speed (or the velocity) of the body. In SI units (used for most modern scientific work), mass is measured in kilograms, speed in metres per second, and the resulting kinetic energy is in joules.

 

I had a feeling the first google result I found for impact force formula was incorrect. Since accident severity usually grows exponentially (statistically) with speed the kinetic force forumla seems more appropriate.

I guess even that is an over simplifictaion since the maximum kinetic energy being exchanged at any moment in the collision is also based upon the duration of the impact which is really an unknown without a controlled environment. Also the vehicle will not give evenly so there may be spikes in the kinetic energy as certain parts of the frame give more readily than others. I have a feeling this is something that needs to be answered with statistics not physics.
Which just leaves me with: Heavier vehicles can cause worse accidents. There has to be some info out there that gives a specfic relationship between vehicle weight and accident severity.

random outdated info:



• Fatalities would be

current level. This reduction, however, is not statistically significant

• Serious or moderate injuries (AIS 2-6) in nonrollover crashes would be

which would be 1.3 percent below the current level.

• Less-serious injuries (police-reported 'A' or 'K') in nonrollover crashes would increase by
1,794, which would be 1.5 percent over the current level.
These estimates include all occupant fatalities and injuries in crashes that involved at least one light
truck: the truck occupants, plus the occupants of other light vehicles involved in the crash.
Pedestrians and bicyclists are included in the analysis of fatal crashes, but not in the injury analyses.
The estimates measure the net effects on society, when light trucks get smaller, but other vehicles
stay the same size.
When trucks are reduced in weight and size, they become less crashworthy for their own occupants,
but they become less capable of damaging other vehicles. In almost every crash mode, fatalities and
injuries increased for the occupants of the light trucks, but those losses could be more than offset
(except at the less-serious injury level) by benefits for smaller road-users: occupants of passenger
cars, pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists. As in the analysis for cars, it is assumed that
historical relationships are maintained between weight and other size parameters. Interestingly, the
correlation between mass and parameters that influence rollover stability has historically been much
weaker for trucks than cars. As a result, weight reductions are expected to have little or no effect
on fatalities in rollover crashes.

 

Wow. Some of y'all need to take a Xanax.

Far more people are killed by drunk drivers than street racers. Yet drunk drivers are left on the street to kill people at will. Street racing, not so much. They impound your car, yank your license, and generally don't use lube. It's crazy.

Street racing will never be completely safe, but driving isn't completely safe. It is not always excessively dangerous and can be done responsibly. He wasn't street racing in the middle of the afternoon in a school zone. Likely the only people to get hurt would be him and the other driver.

I street raced a lot in high school. It was always on deserted industrial/back roads when no one else was around. No one got hurt, and luckily we never got caught.

Seriously, if your wife and kids are out on a deserted back road in the middle of the night driving their land yacht you have bigger problems to worry about.

Street racing always grabs the media's attention, it makes for good ratings to catch those "law breakers". In reality, it is responsible for an insignificant percentage of deaths and accidents.

 

Agreed, we should probably approach DWIs similarly to street racing. That said, drunks kill so much more because there are so many more drunks. On a per vehicle mile basis, its almost assuredly similar.

No, its basically the epitome of excessively dangerous.

 

I have been around for awhile and have known a lot of street racers some of which did it as a profession.. I honestly cannot recall hearing about anyone involved in that lifestyle being severely injured or injuring another person except on occasions when some drunken idiot decided to show how fast his car was and lost control and hurt or killed spectators that had put their own selves risk by being where the shouldn't have been..... Some people take the movies and other media sources that sensationalize and exploit fears and prejudices much to seriously.

 

While anecdotal, it is also true for me.

 

Even googling 'street racing statisics' yields little help. The only thing I understand from them is that the consequences from the police are far worse than the real life consequences. When did america go from a bunch of fiercley independent whiskey drinking bootleggers to a bunch of 'sacrifice freedom for safety' hipster yuppies? The only street racing deaths I see online occur in the city. Maybe thats why cops never give me trouble out here.

The track is just not a viable option, it's too damn crowded. Spend 8 hours to get 5 passes? Hell no

The thing I personally can't stand about street racing isn't the risk but the attitude of other drivers. To me it's just for fun, after all it doesn't really matter who wins. So if I have to slam on the brakes or let the other guy win due to a road hazard (or just flat out lose), that's fine. Others seem to think their honor is on the line or something. I get the middle finger alot when I win. At least at the track people know how to behave like civilized human beings. I need to make some sort of 'Gentlemen's Street Racing Club'

But, police are pretty reasonable. If you got a ticket usually it means something was obviously of concern to the officer that couldn't simply be overlooked. Where you in a busy area? or a big city? Do you have a prior record? Do you look like a thug? or a stoner?

 

When you did your google search did you notice that police chases kill 4 times more people than are killed in a year by street racing accidents? Street racing accounts for 0.21% of vehicular deaths...The high amount of traffic deaths of Marines is due to so many of them being first time owner/riders of high performance sport bikes.

 

I agree that it's not the end of the world for The OP and he needs to deal, learn and move on.

But justyfying one "wrong" behavior by comparing it to another "wrong" behavior- is always wrong.

Plus where do you live where Drunk Drivers are left on the street to kill people at will? Talk about Mean Drunks.....

Plus IMO regardless of "percentages" when it comes to impact within lives...ONE death or accident- is one too many.

 

You are right most die on there bikes i have known alot now that have died. But i also i have seen some young kids wrap there tricked out cars around trees and poles street racing as well. Does it happen all the time? No but hey its still wrong. That is why they make tracks just pay to go there for the day. Texas Coyote you seem to know what you are talking about and i always seem to want to read ur replys on threads now.

 

Now if the powers that be were to adapt this kind of thinking our leaders in national office would stop bowing to corporate interest and refrain from sending young Marines and Soldiers off to wars in 3rd world countries.

 

So right u are ^^^.

 

Play stupid games win stupid prizes.

Cheap lesson.

 

So im surfacing an old thread here because i finally went to court. I got pretty lucky. I got my street racing charge which i couldve gotten up to a year in jail, $2500 fine, 2 years lose of license and car permanently impounded. After I went to court my lawyer and I fought it and got it reduced to improper driving, keep my license, reduced to a 3 point and dont even have to pay fines (only court cost $63).. so yea im pretty happy. merry christmas to me right?

 

That's good. Now move to another state asap. For what it's worth I was doing donuts power slides and linking bootleggers with j turns to do 360s in the snow in a big empty parking lot. I stopped after a while and just parked in the snow for a while. Suddenly a police officer pulled in to the parking lot. I'm thinking o shit because my tracks are right there showing my crazy slides. The officer rolls down his window. He says "I just wanted to make sure you didn't get stuck while you were having fun there" I laugh and tell him every thing is okay. He says "drive safe" and proceeds to do about a 200 ft powerslide right in front of me.


Maybe you should come to Illinois?

 

You should have lost your license, and definitely had to pay the $2500, and also got the jail time for being an idiot.

 

On a first offense? That's cruel.

 

kinda reminds me of what my dad did to me...

So, we used to own a Buick Regal... for those of you that don't know, it's a HUGE & HEAVY sedan (or is it coupe, since it only had 2 doors?).

This one winter, he decided to take me to the lakefront, to one of the empty parking lots and proceeds to do all kinds of wild driving maneuvers. I think he was trying to show me how to control the car.

I was 10 years old!!!! I could barely see over the doors while he was doing it. Scared the bejeezus out of me. I remember screaming "like a little girl," mostly because I was literally being tossed around in the car's front bench seats. And because I had so much trouble staying in one position, the only thing of the outside I saw was spinning around.

Apparently, you never can tell what an old man can do with a boat-like monster that's supposed to be a car.

 

Cool cops are like a rare diamond. Cherish this moment.