Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Hydroplaning

There is probably nothing more disturbing to a driver than the realization that despite everything your antilock brakes can do, it is not quite going to be enough.

On a related note, why is the rear end of a car built like a fortress, and the front end like an eggshell? I ran into a Kia, and there is a small dent in her bumper. My Mercedes' whole front end is smashed. The hood is wrinkled, the grille crumbled into hundreds of pieces, the light lenses and brackets are destroyed, the radiator got pushed into the fan... only the fenders and the directional lights were undamaged.
I understand the whole idea of energy-absorbing construction, but why does it have to absorb that much energy from a 10 MPH collision?

2 comments:

  1. I saw the picture. That stinks. Sorry about the accident.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I wonder if it qualifies as irony that I was on my way to renew a drivers license when I totaled my car...

    ReplyDelete