[Teacher317]

For 130mph combined speed, between vehicles with a combined weight of almost 4 tons, that is amazingly light damage.

[Teacher317]

130 mph, 7800 lbs, assuming a tenth of a second for duration of impact...

F=m*a...
Mass: 7800 lbs * .45 kg/lb = 3510 kg
Speed: 130 mph * 1.6 = 208 kph
Acceleration: a = dv / dt, so 208 / 0.1 = 2080

F = m*a = 3510 * 2080 = 7,300,800 Newtons of impact force.

Did I get that right? I'm merely a physics geek wanna-be.

[PapaBear3625]

What saved you was that your car was more massive than hers. Visualize a bat hitting a ball, with her car as the ball. The bat decelerates a bit, but the change in velocity of the ball is very high. It comes from the Conservation of Momentum law

[Mr. Mojo]

For 130mph combined speed, between vehicles with a combined weight of almost 4 tons, that is amazingly light damage.

Indeed it is. My only head-on collision was a combined 90 mph. ...me in a big '79 Caddy sedan, and the other guy in city ice scraper truck. (He skidded and swerved into my lane). I got by far the worse of it (the Caddy was totaled), but with both came out of it with only minor injuries. From then on it's only been big cars (and trucks) for me.