5 MPH Bumper Damage Myth

It has been widely reported that the majority of automobiles deform or crush, as per the manufacturers rating at 5mph, and as a result, occupants can not be hurt at such a low velocity of impact. The Spine Research Institute of San Diego who crashed dozens of cars in an independent study, found a flaw in the manufacturer’s rating. As you can see by the late model car in the graphic (which is only one of many models crashed), the car withstood multiple crashes beyond 5mph, therefore invalidating the manufacturer’s report.Their research showed that “cars can withstand speeds of 8-12mph without sustaining crush damage.”Richter et al. (2000) showed in their research that occupants sustained injuries beginning at 6.8 MPH, proving that a large percentage of occupants get injured in no damage crashes.