We offer these informative videos to educate our clients and the public in ways to reduce the risk of a tragic accident as well as explain the physics behind collisions and their consequences.
UNDERSTANDING CAR CRASHES - IT'S BASIC PHYSICS What happens to vehicles and their occupants in crashes is determined by science. "You can't argue with the laws of physics," says Griff Jones, award-winning high school physics teacher who goes behind the scenes at the Institute's Vehicle Research Center to explore the basic science behind car crashes. Using a series of vehicle maneuvers on a test track plus filmed results of vehicle crash tests, Jones explains in anything but lecture style the concept of inertia, the relationship between crash forces and inertia, momentum and impulse, and a lot more.
REDUCING YOUR RISKS IN THE CRASH
The best way to reduce the risks is to make sure everyone in the vehicle is effectively restrained. This video uses test footage of what happens during crashes to show how to get the most from occupant restraints. For example, it shows how to buckle up properly and why you should sit back from the steering wheel and airbag.
UNDERSTANDING CAR CRASHES - WHEN PHYSICS MEETS BIOLOGY
Why do some car crashes produce only minor injuries? How can a single crash of a car into a wall involve three separate collisions? Griff Jones, award-winning science teacher, returns to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Vehicle Research Center to answer these questions and to examine the laws of nature that determine what happens to the human body in a crash.
YOUNG DRIVERS: THE HIGH RISK YEARS
Getting a driver's license is a rite of passage for teenagers, but it also marks the start of their most dangerous years on the road. Teen drivers have much higher crash rates than adults. Fortunately, there are ways parents can help to reduce the risks. This video highlights the stories of three teens whose lives ended too soon and examines common factors such as inexperience, immaturity, and speeding that lead to many crashes involving young, novice drivers.
"Inside IIHS: Crash test photography" explores what it takes to produce the high-quality, slow-motion footage needed to learn exactly what happened in a crash test and to communicate those findings to the media and the public.
An antilock braking system (ABS) reduces the risk of a motorcycle crash. ABS prevents wheels from locking up, and that's crucial on a motorcycle. On a car, a lockup might result in a skid. On a motorcycle, it often means a serious fall. The rate of fatal crashes is 31 percent lower for motorcycles equipped with optional antilock brakes than for the same models without them.
In the 50 years since U.S. insurers organized the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, car crashworthiness has improved. Demonstrating this was a crash test conducted between a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air and a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. In a real-world collision similar to this test, occupants of the new model would fare much better than in the vintage Chevy.