Loss of Control Accidents


There is much debate over why so many loss of control accidents, with many varying opinions from experts and the public.

 But what if we take everything out of the equation but the car? The most common scenario involving loss of control is a vehicle traveling on an icy road and a front wheel coming into contact with a ridge of slush or hard snow and the vehicle starting to pivot out of control. We know the point at which the vehicle will start to pivot and that is when one front wheel has more traction than both rear wheels combined. 67% front weight to 33% rear weight.

    To understand how a vehicle will get to this point we need to understand that upon impact with the slush or snow weight is shifted to the front of the vehicle making the front of the vehicle heavier and the rear of the vehicle lighter. The calculation for weight shift is (G force, percentage weight of the car x height of centre of gravity) divided by the wheelbase. So a half G force on an average car is (50x20”) /110” =9% weight transfer.

    This means a 50/50 balanced vehicle with an encountered force of 50% of the weight of the vehicle (.5G) will transfer 9% of its weight with a resulting weight ratio of 50+9 / 50-9 or 59/41.

     So to reach 67/33 the following forces have to be present to destabilize vehicles with  the following weight ratios;

1. 50/50 --.95G              2. 55/45 --.70G

 3. 60/40 --.42G          4. 63/37 --.26G

5. 64/36 --.19G              6. 65/35 --.11G

7. 66/34 --.06G



This is a static calculation, not taking into effect wind or slope of the road surface and the fact that on a front wheel drive, a slowing force on one front wheel causes a speed up effect on the opposite wheel. So the force required to destabilize will be less than what is shown.

 How does this translate to accidents.  Here are the lists of vehicles put out by The Institute for Highway Safety , best and worst for 2014 and I have added in the weight ratios.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Directional tires " is there a right and wrong "

Image
Movement of water on a directional tire Hydroplaning and Roadway  Tort Liability          Highway and Traffic Safety and Accident Research, Management, and Issues (trb.org)   By design directional tires on a drive axle displace water, snow and loose material to the center of the tread. When slippage occurs the treads then divert material to the side allowing more traction. Under braking material is channeled faster into the center of the tread. On a trailing or non-driven axle putting the tires on in a reverse direction will add to stability and increase the braking capabilities as any water , snow or loose material in continuously diverted to the  outside of the tread. The use of directional tires will increase the chances of a spinout. While they can increase forward traction by 30% they also reduce stability by 30%. I have always recommended non directional and keeping newer tires on the rear. And from farmers  the experts on directional tires     If you ever drove a farm tractor y
Read more

best articles about best to the rear to reduce vehicle loss of control accidents

Image
Is it dangerous to put tires with the most tread on the front wheels? AJ Foreign Auto?    The Article Two new tires should be mounted on the rear A pdf  copy of a study done by Jeffry Smith, Jennifer Cowley and Michael Wogalter The article in pdf. Tire Placement – Expert Article on Placement of New Tires In this article, automotive engineer and tire expert, Richard Sherman addresses the often disputed topic of tire placement.  The Article Should you fit new tyres to the front or rear? Kumho tire news The Article Dealers debate details of tire rotation Mr. Detore is editor of Tire Business The Article Winter Tires: Business Up Front or Party in the Back? . On which end of the car do you install the better rubber? The Article CONVENTIONAL ROTATION:   The vehicle has 4 new tires which are rotated front to back every 6000km.   On a front wheel drive vehicle having 60% of its weight on the front and 40% weight on the rear each rotation adds 10% mor
Read more

Lost Control Buick Daily Google Search

Facebook Where cars that are 30% lighter on the back than the front are more likely to be involved in loss of control accidents Man hospitalized after rollover crash in Centre County WJAC Johnstown- Mar 6, 2017 Police say Matthew Carr of Dalton was driving a 2004 Buick Lesabre when he lost control of the car on I-99 just before 1 a.m. and went roughly ... 2004 Buick Lesabre weight ratio    Front 62% Rear 38% Men killed in Santa Cruz triple fatal wreck ID'd as Salvadoran cousins Santa Cruz Sentinel- Mar 6, 2017 Alex Lopez, 19, was behind the wheel of a 2000 Buick Regal when he lost control of the car and swerved over the double yellow lines and into  2000 Buick Regal                      Front 63% Rear 37%    Man, baby die in Bridgewater crash Staunton News Leader- Mar 22, 2017 ... block of Spring Creek Road shortly before noon when the driver, 33-year-old Richard L. Bennett, of Bridgewater, lost control of a 2003 Buick , ...
Read more