Big trucks and SUVs, especially those with flat front ends, aren’t just more intimidating to look at, they are genuinely deadlier for pedestrians, according to new research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The kinetic energy carried into the impact scales with the square of the speed, 1/2mv². To make the impact energy equal, the Tahoe would need to have (50²/30²) 2.777 times the mass of the Porsche. The mass of the Tahoe is known, about 2600kg. There lightest Porsche on offer is the 911 S/T at 1386kg. The Porsche would hit you with ~50% more force.
The question now is the low hoodline worth being hit with 50% more force? I’d say yes.
I like to ask this question to people I know:
Would you rather be hit by a Porsche going 50mph or a (new model) Tahoe going 30mph?
The kinetic energy carried into the impact scales with the square of the speed, 1/2mv². To make the impact energy equal, the Tahoe would need to have (50²/30²) 2.777 times the mass of the Porsche. The mass of the Tahoe is known, about 2600kg. There lightest Porsche on offer is the 911 S/T at 1386kg. The Porsche would hit you with ~50% more force.
The question now is the low hoodline worth being hit with 50% more force? I’d say yes.