Final answer:
Centrifugal force describes the tendency of a car to continue to move in a straight line when it's going through a curve, which is why safety belts are vital in a crash. Safety features like airbags and crumple zones in cars are designed based on impulse principles to reduce force by increasing the time of impact.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a car attempts to go in a straight line while navigating a curve, this phenomenon is referred to as centrifugal force. This is a primary reason why safety belts are critically important in a crash. Safety features like seat belts and airbags function to extend the time of impact during a collision, utilizing the physics concept of impulse, which is the product of the net force acting on an object and the duration of time over which it acts. Extending the collision time results in a lower force on the car's occupants, thus reducing the chance of injury or death.
The crumpling of components in modern vehicles, including plastics and other materials designed to deform, also serves to increase the collision time and thereby decrease the force experienced by the occupants. Therefore, wearing a safety belt ensures that the person is secured and benefits from the vehicle's safety features designed to protect them during crashes.
The condition in which a car wants to go in a straight line in a curve is called centrifugal force. This occurs because of Newton's first law, which states that an object in motion tends to stay in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force. In a curve, the car is turning off its straight-line path, but your body still wants to continue moving in a straight line, which makes you feel like you're being pushed away from the center of the turn.