An overhead bumper can reduce accident mortality by up to 60% (4 photos + 1 video)

Employees at the Swedish Chalmers University of Technology have developed an overhead bumper for trucks that can save the lives of drivers even during head-on collisions. The technology will help reduce deformation of the passenger car interior during accidents by up to 60%.





A lightweight structure made of hexagonal tubes and aluminum foil is attached to the front of the truck. All materials inside the bumper overlay are arranged in the form of a honeycomb, so that during a collision, the structure will absorb the kinetic energy of the oncoming car.

The development allows you to adjust the counteracting force using the thickness of the foil. And yes, it is much thicker than regular aluminum foil used in the kitchen. As a result of crash tests, researchers found that the use of an overlay structure reduces deformation of car interiors by 30–60%.

During testing, both vehicles were driven at 50 km/h to simulate a scenario where the emergency braking systems slowed both vehicles from a cruising speed of 80 km/h. By scaling up the development, the number of fatal accidents on the roads can be significantly reduced.