Calculating Force of a Side Collision: Help Appreciated

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Calculating the force experienced by a driver during a side collision involves understanding the dynamics of two moving objects rather than a stationary wall. When two cars of equal mass collide, the impact can be likened to hitting a wall at half the speed of the moving vehicle. Modern vehicles are engineered to absorb impacts, meaning the force can be considered constant after an initial compression distance. The kinetic energy of the driver can be divided by the stopping distance to estimate the force, though it typically increases throughout the impact. Accurate calculations require consideration of the vehicle's design and the nature of the collision.
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I am having some troubles figuring out how to calculate the force that the driver receives during a collision, I understand the physics of a car hitting a wall very well. but I have troubles calculating the force received when hitting another object in motion, not in a head on collision, but hitting the passengers side door. . any help would be appreciated.
 
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If you suppose the cars to be equal in mass and compressibility, it would be like hitting an unyielding wall at one half the speed.
That said, computing the forces is not trivial. Modern cars are designed to absorb impacts by collapsing at a fairly constant resistance, so, after the first metre or so, you can maybe take the force as constant. Then you can divide the KE of the driver by the stopping distance. In practice, the force will tend to rise during the impact.
 
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