Why aren't cars designed so that the driver and passengers are away from the impact?

Question

If the impact of a car crash doesn't kill you, the rapid deceleration will. So why don't engineers build a car where the occupants in the vehicle are away from the direct impact (such as being elevated from the main chassis of the vehicle) and allowed a large enough time as to not let deceleration kill or injure.

Picture this: the car and all components needed on the ground while a separate cabin is just slightly above. In a head on collision, the main bodies will collide and then the cabin acts like some type of bungie that is only railed to go forward right or back left so two cabins don't collide in a head on like this one. So a nice "fluffy" crash where everyone gets a bungie ride until it stops.

Radical idea, i know.

One of the main reasons why this isn't happening is cost. Any other insights?

Answer 1

That's a silly question, but I'll answer it.  If the main cabin was mounted above the car, on a bungie cord, and you crashed into a car coming the other way, corner to corner, the two cabins would certainly smack each other.  if you swerved to miss each other, the cars would tip over and these high-mounted cabins would smack the ground really hard.  It is nearly impossible in rollover to actually impact anything.  Your car would invent a new style/direction/method of impact.

Don't like that answer?  If the high-mounted cabin has to be surrounded by a crumple zone, and bumpers and whatnot, then you're talking about two cars, one on top of the other, mounted on springs. It just gets more top-heavy and ridiculous.

Don't like that answer?  If the occupants were far in the back, away from head on collisions, they'd be squashed by rear end collisions.  

Don't like that answer?  If you want to think out of the box, think about this:

If cars were 40 feet long and 40 feet wide, with one person right in the middle, no crash could get to you.  That will work.  Infrastructure (streets) would have to be changed, but it would certainly work.  There are no technical barriers to it.

The width of cars is a  leftover from the horsedrawn wagon days.  Cars were intended to drive on wagon roads.  The width has never been changed. Interesting.

Answer 2

Why doesn't somebody simply design better drivers?

Radical idea, I know.

Answer 3

Not a bad idea.  Except, 45MPH+ crashes are devastating no matter how 'padded' the cabin is.  Besides cost, a seperate cabin will add gobs of weight (lowering mpg) and raise center of gravity (easier to tip).

Answer 4

Ejection seats and parachutes would fix the problem.

Answer 5

if enertia doesn`t exist then they can make a car/vehicle like you`re saying...............and it`s not the cost,vehicle manufacturers invest millions on how to make the safest car as possible............seatbelts doesn`t exist before,even airbags........why don`t you visit volvo´s website or any vehicle manufacturer and see how they work and waste money to save millions of lives................and don´t talk about "cost"................................ev... a new model goes out,there`s always a new thing added to save lives on any kind of accident......................again,don`... talk about "cost"