If, like me, you’re morbidly curious and you like to watch crash test videos in your free time then buckle up because last week PBS published a comprehensive documentary that recreates and investigates a multi-car pileup. Don’t worry if you’re on the squeamish side, the test is conducted without putting any living beings in danger. Instead of having humans behind the wheel, test engineers rigged up each test vehicle with remote controls that a group of test subjects operated safely from remote simulators.
This crash test was meant to simulate a multi-car pileup on a freeway, which in the real world poses a significant challenge for accident investigators to recreate without firsthand knowledge of how the accident actually took place. This experiment offers unique insight into what actually happens in the event of a devastating crash scenario, how real drivers react to a sudden road hazard, and how vehicle safety systems perform in such a complex crash.
PBS filmed the test which was staged on a two-mile long stretch of road on a decommissioned Royal Air Force base in Campbeltown, Scotland that was modified to mimic a freeway with a slow lane, middle lane, fast lane, and a shoulder. The film is 1 hour and 40 minutes long and provides a thorough deep dive into the methodology of the test as well as the investigation that follows, so it’s perfect for diehard crash test aficionados and normies alike.
Four unsuspecting drivers and four engineers
As the first crash test of its kind, this high-speed pileup scenario required countless hours of preparation to ensure that no lives were harmed, no secrets were revealed, and that the accident occurred as it needed to. All eight passenger vehicles and one semi-truck used in the experiment had to be rigged up to operate as full-scale remote-controlled cars so test participants could best simulate a real-world crash, but only some of the vehicles were driven by unknowing volunteers. Half of the vehicles were piloted by test engineers who knew what to expect from the experiment, but the other half were unaware of the plan to simulate a multi-car pileup.
The four unsuspecting drivers were representative of different demographics: one very new female driver who remotely drove a 2002 Porsche Boxster, one mid-twenties male driver who describes himself as a “boy racer” who operated a 2009 Volkswagen GTI, one older woman who operated a 2012 Toyota Prius, and an older man who operated a 2012 Ford F-150. The other vehicles operated by engineers were a 2005 Audi A8, a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan, a 2005 Mercedes-Benz ML, and a 2012 Vauxhall Vivaro cargo van. Each vehicle was selected to represent different vehicle classes, sizes, and engine layouts to provide a real-world representation of a diverse group of random cars.
Several Smart ForTwos were converted into simulators for the participants to operate their respective remote-controlled cars from, and a psychologist observed the volunteers as they practiced driving the remote-controlled cars and observed that their bodies were reacting to the situation as though they were actually behind the wheel of the moving vehicle. Dummies were placed into the remote-controlled cars, some wearing their seatbelts and others intentionally left unbuckled, and the stage was set for the test.
Recreating a worst-case scenario
The accident staged in this test is meant to recreate an icy British motorway with a patch of black ice, as is sometimes the case in real-world high-speed pileups. To simulate a low-traction, icy surface on the airport runway, engineers found that gravel provided a loss of friction that was most similar to an icy roadway, and the test commenced. The team initiated the pileup by driving a remote-controlled semi-truck across the simulated lanes of oncoming traffic, directly in the path of the remote-controlled passenger cars right as the roadway suddenly became slippery. The unsuspecting drivers did their best to avoid the crash but could only do so much given the challenging road conditions.
The results are both alarming and fascinating, but I don’t mean to spoil the ending, so give it a watch for yourself. On a totally related note, always wear your seatbelt and remain vigilant when you’re behind the wheel of a car, as those are your best defenses against a potentially deadly accident like this one.
H/T to reader Steven Lance for sending this our way!
