Final answer:
Driver error contributes significantly to fatal auto accidents, and analyzing accident samples can validate these proportions. Car designs featuring crumple zones and other safety technologies apply principles of impulse to minimize injuries during crashes. These developments align safety strategies with physics concepts to reduce the rates of fatal accidents.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding the causes of car crashes is critical for creating safety strategies and improving vehicle design to prevent fatal accidents. Driver error is identified as a significant cause of accidents. With driver error responsible for around 54% of all fatal auto accidents, analyzing accident data can determine if this proportion holds in different samples. For instance, analyzing 30 randomly selected fatal accidents can reveal whether the observed proportion of accidents due to driver error significantly differs from the estimated AAA proportion using statistical methods.
Additionally, the design of cars has evolved to enhance safety. Features like crumple zones, which are parts of the car that are designed to crumple upon impact, help to extend the time of impact. This implies a longer impact duration allows for a smaller force applied over a longer period, minimizing injuries to the passengers as per the concept of impulse from physics. Effectively, such designs have been instrumental in reducing the lethality of car crashes.