White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1913-09-07
SPEED FACTOR IN COLLISIONS.
Average Person Has No Conception
Of Effect of Increased Velocity
In Event Of Accident.

How many of the millions OF peo-
pie who sit at the steering wheel of
their automobile realize how greatly
the smashing effects of a collision are
increased by an increase of the
speed Those who have been
through a smash-and survived
have a more or less intelligent ap-
probation of this relationship. It
would be interesting to learn how
many out of every one hundred driy-
ers of automobiles are aware of the
fact that the destructive effects of an
overturn or a collision are increased,
not in proportion to the speed. but to
the square of the speed. A driver
who has touched the curb or side
wiped" a fence at ten miles an hour
and escaped with Unexpectedly small
injury. is surprised at the damage
which ensues in case of a collision at
20 miles an hour. and perfectly
ldumhfounded-should he survive the
disaster-at the havoc wrought when
the speed Is thirty of forty miles an
nour. II he we're conscious OF the
fact that the smashing energy EN-
bodied in his machine was four times
as great al twenty miles an hour as
AT ten. nine times as great at thirty
miles an hour. and sixteen times as
great at forty. he might still con-
tempiate the wreekage with dismay,
hui not with astorishment. the
moral OF this as applied TO the auto
mob,lis, Is, that an increase in bis
speed is a most imperative cell upon
him for an increase of vigilance n
caption. for a nicer judgment OF
speed and distance. and for the po-
session of a steady nerve and quick
w,,-and woe betide him in an m
~ergency II he have not the last
named.
60 also. in the larger field of rail-
reading. the risk and damage III
heavy toll with the same renlofseiess
,rao,e,on Broadly speaking we
n,,.h, saw that. not alone in the e 5
,.,o,,ye effects Of eoliision-soonid
:, oome-but with regard to every
a,amont mechanical and human that
.a,ars into the question of safe rat
.a.a he risk and danger IN
crease AS the square oil the Fe'oei'''
mA,. :, we raise the speed OF an eN-
-. ,rain from sixty to eighty miles
., hour. the momentum oil Inc Van
uin no nearly doubled, and prac'''a'.
" doubled also will be the amoun' 81
,,.hing and rendirs which Will take
-. Ia IA saw. in the forward par'
Of the train itself or in me amer pa
COCO If \ rear collision, oil the
- Into which 1t runs. before the
energy of the moving tram "a' =,
~ovnonded. and IT comes to a S'a'e =,
rest Furthermore, the higher 'p pen
~,u,noses a much higher stress 0o."
,nan the train itself n upo"
=.aaor and track structures W.
..s,eh !, runs. The distance
S,a arr must be greatly increased 20
S,sns with brakes of the same
%ocleucy it would take a mu, ra,n
.'ma 10 slow down the fast tram unor
Mr. westinghouse speaking KIND u tha,
~, W, subject, has recently stated ! ,n" ;
.a,s emergency brakes are set sa, o" 81 !
,ra,n which is running at the n aarI he
So miles an hour the .ra," an hou,
On running at so mi,e' ,aat from,
stu # has advanced 100 Zee, '' ,nl
s saa ooint of application .o o. ' h,
the ms. whereas a train 3oui ~ ~ =.
!. u,onned altogether in lloo .es sonr~
. 'opS we're only 60 miles an "'"
scientific American