Final answer:
Drivers should understand the physics behind crumple zones and airbags in cars, which protect passengers by increasing the time of impact, thus reducing the force. Awareness of driver error and applying principles of impulse and the usage of lighter materials are also essential for crash prevention.
Step-by-step explanation:
To actively prevent crashes between cars and commercial vehicles, drivers must understand the principle of crumpling in physics and how vehicle design features, such as crumple zones and airbags, function to protect passengers. Crumple zones are designed to absorb the energy of a collision by deforming, thereby increasing the time over which the impact occurs, and consequently reducing the force exerted on the passengers inside. The correct answer to your question about how crumple zones protect passengers is (a) It reduces injury to the passengers by increasing the time of impact.
When considering crash prevention and safety, it is also essential for drivers to be aware of the potential for driver error, which the American Automobile Association indicates is the cause of approximately 54 percent of all fatal auto accidents. Understanding the principles of impulse, which is the product of net force and the duration of the impact, can be applied to safety features such as airbags and padded dashboards to mitigate injuries during an accident by extending the duration over which the force is applied, thus reducing its intensity. Additional safety measures include the use of lighter materials like plastics in cars, which contribute to better gas mileage and an enhanced ability to crumple, distributing the forces more evenly during a collision.