mishar

Good point.

s4master1

http://www.wreckedexotics.com/specia..._crash_003.jpg

http://images.forum-auto.com/mesimag...diA8crash1.jpg

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/sh...da3-vs-Audi-A8

pay attention to the electrical power line pole on the ferrari crash.
look closer at the trees on both directions on the RS6 crash.
look at the A8 head on collision with a mazda 3, mazda passengers survive A8 driver in a coma.
you be the judge.

s4master1

http://jalopnik.com/5917181/driver-w...ly-eight-hours


http://safrantherapies.files.wordpre...round-tree.jpg


http://centralvalleytv.net/2012/05/2...ite-boulevard/

milellie111

So has anyone on this board been in a serious accident in their A8? Did it save their life? Did you feel safe in the vehicle?

GnatGoSplat

That one is a steel-bodied A6, and I will guess that the Mazda 3 hit the Audi at an angle. At any rate, that's what the IIHS calls a "small overlap crash", of which very few cars actually do very well at. Audi A4, Mercedes C-class, and Lexus IS all did very poorly in the small overlap crash test performed by the IIHS.
http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr081412.html

Safety is a big concern of mine, so I have done a lot of research and have seen many photos. I've actually seen a LOT of German cars split in half, not just the Audi A8, but A4s and A6s as well. I've also seen Mercedes and BMWs split in half. It actually seems to be more common with more expensive cars.

http://mbworld.org/forums/off-topic/...rains-rip.html
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-n...-split-in-half
http://makeverydaystuff.blogspot.com...iption-41.html

It's really not uncommon if you scour the web for crash pics. I don't believe the aluminum-bodied A8 is any less safe than any other German car. I'm just hypothesizing, but I think the reason a lot of presumably safe cars break in half is for these reasons:

- Speed. German luxury cars often have big, fast engines.
- More high strength steel. I'm no engineer, but usually hardened steels (and aluminum) are less ductile than regular steel. If that's true, then that could very well explain why high dollar cars split in half while lower cost cars wrap themselves around poles.

With all the split-in-half pics of cars I've seen - cars that get top marks in safety, I personally don't think this is anything to get into a panic over. It could happen in any car. It's also possible that had this been an American car that wrapped itself around the pole, there may have been more than just the 1 fatality.

Mister Bally

Thanks for confirming that is an A6. I was 90% certain but I figured the certified Audi master mechanic who has repaired or oversaw tens of thousands of repairs would have caught the error in the article.

mishar

If a collision is so forceful that it splits car in half or wrap it around pool all occupants are dead by default. Every survivor should start celebrating new birthday and stop buying lottery.

GnatGoSplat

That's true, although I have actually read more miracle survival stories about cars that have split in half where occupants only suffered minor injuries vs wrapped around a pole.

mishar

Not sure if there is any statistic to support that, but it sounds logical.

K9COP

.. I can offer that that sounds plausible, and the physics kind of backs it up too. As they say with parachuting, it's not the height of the drop that kills you, but the sudden stop at the end. If a vehicle hits a pole/tree/transformer/Arnie and stops immediately, the massive G-loads, I would say, are what cause the most damage to the human body. If the car splits, and the deceleration is reduced over distance and time (airbag and inertia reel seat belt principles), then fragile little us may stand more chance of surviving.

I've dealt with both/all scenarios- person stays in car, sudden stop, dead as a door nail. Person stays in modern car, sudden stop, pissed off at the damage and pain. Person flung from car after car suddenly stops or splits? Grab a straw, and hope it's the long one.

I'd say pretty much every collision is unique, but either way, the energy involved is massive. It really is the luck of the draw.

Message from this? Know your limits and don't drive like a ****. A fast car does not a skilled driver make. If you've been drinking, you should be man enough (or lady enough..) to admit that you shouldn't be near the steering wheel, and any real friends should also stop you.
It's hard for me to have sympathy in this situation, as after we've finished sweeping up body parts, it's for us to tell the parents, and them to deal with every good memory of their child being wiped out by the only thing they'll be remembered for. 'He was a drunk driver'.

K9