Getting hit by another vehicle from any angle can be dangerous when driving. Yet when that angle is close to a right angle, the dangers increase. Known as T-boning, a side-on crash can have devastating consequences.
Here is what makes these crashes so concerning:
You have less protection
Your car has a lot of safety measures in place to cope with someone hitting you from the front or rear. There is much less of these in place against someone hitting you from the side. This is largely because your vehicle has less space available on the side to build in such protection. Think about how thin your vehicle’s side panels are compared to the massive crumple zone on the front.
You sit closer to the full force of the impact
When someone hits you from the side, you are closer to the point of impact than when someone hits you front or rear. That means most of the force will still be intact, as it has not had a chance to dissipate, so you are going to receive a much greater hit.
Your seat and belt are less effective
Your car seat has you facing forward. If someone hits you from behind, you will be pushed back against the seat. If someone hits you from behind, the seat belt will stop you from going too far forward, and you will rebound back into the seat. When they hit you from the side you do not have this solid seat back protecting you and the seat belt also provides much less protection.
As you can see, you could easily suffer significant injuries if someone T-bones you. Understanding how to seek compensation will be crucial if this occurs.
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