A crash system for a head module of a rail vehicle, wherein the head module is suitable to be detachably fixed to the end face of a following coach section without an additional underframe, and wherein the end face of the coach section has the following installation interfaces: - two longitudinal beams of the underframe, which extend in the longitudinal direction on the lower edges of the coach section and the end faces of which are suitable for the installation of the head module, - an underframe support, which runs between the two longitudinal beams of the underframe and opens into a main cross beam which is mounted in a bogie of the coach section, wherein the end face of the underframe support is suitable for the installation of the head module, - two longitudinal beams of a coach roof, which extend in the longitudinal direction on the upper edges of the coach section and the end faces of which are suitable for the installation of the head module, and the head module is constructed from an inner and an outer shell and has at least one crash system which is suitable for converting kinetic energy into deformation in the event of a crash, wherein this crash system includes: - a crash box which can be arranged underneath a front window and is arranged above a central buffer coupling, - a lower crash conduction element which carries the crash box at its front end and with its rear end can be fixed to the underframe support of the following coach section and transmits forces arising in the event of a crash into the underframe of the following coach section, - the central buffer coupling which is arranged on the crash conduction element such that the tensile or compressive forces of normal operation are transmitted from the central buffer coupling via the crash conduction element into the underframe of the following coach section, characterized in that the lower crash conduction element has a U-shaped cross section open towards the bottom, wherein the distance between the arms of the U-shaped cross section of the lower crash conduction element increases or decreases over the length of the crash conduction element. - two longitudinal beams of the underframe, which extend in the longitudinal direction on the lower edges of the coach section and the end faces of which are suitable for the installation of the head module, - an underframe support, which runs between the two longitudinal beams of the underframe and opens into a main cross beam which is mounted in a bogie of the coach section, wherein the end face of the underframe support is suitable for the installation of the head module, - two longitudinal beams of a coach roof, which extend in the longitudinal direction on the upper edges of the coach section and the end faces of which are suitable for the installation of the head module, - a crash box which can be arranged underneath a front window and is arranged above a central buffer coupling, - a lower crash conduction element which carries the crash box at its front end and with its rear end can be fixed to the underframe support of the following coach section and transmits forces arising in the event of a crash into the underframe of the following coach section, - the central buffer coupling which is arranged on the crash conduction element such that the tensile or compressive forces of normal operation are transmitted from the central buffer coupling via the crash conduction element into the underframe of the following coach section,