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Originally Posted by geckoGT
When you are talking two passenger cars involved in a 100 km/h head on collision, individual vehicle weight have very little to do with it, neither will have a "survivability" advantage. This of course relevant to two passenger vehicles, if you make one a car and the other a B double, that is different.
I assume in your example that both vehicles are traveling at 100, the landcruiser will not decelerate from 100-20, it will stop (quickly). Considering the combined force of the impact is 200 km/h, both vehicles, regardless of mass still sustain a 200 km/h impact. Your example gives the false impression that you are more likely to survive in a landcruiser than a barina. This is a over simplified assumption and does not take into account effectiveness of crumple zones, safety restraints and force transference to occupants. Interestingly, statistically you are more likely to be involved in an accident in a 4wd and when you are you are more likely to be killed. Does not say much for the "safety of 4wd's theory" does it?
Looking at forces involved, the other car at same speed in opposite direction is still worse than stationary object. Although not twice as bad as the speeds involved would suggest due to other factors, but still worse. At least that is what all the research and study I have done on vehicle accident kinematics suggests. The end result is neither would be particularly survivable, in any vehicle.
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From a Physics point of view, hitting a moving oobject of the same mass at the SAME SPEED is the equivalent of sitting a solid, immovable object. It is only when speed and mass differences occur that the equivalent forces are different, and can change the equivalent speed to be higher or lower.