7/10 of a Second to Die

THIS IS A GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF WHAT HAPPENS IN AN ACCIDENT. IF THIS KIND OF INFORMATION BOTHERS YOU, PLEASE DO NOT CONTINUE!

It takes seven tenths of a second to kill a person on a vehicle crash. Studies at Yale and Cornell Universities provided a dramatic split second chronology of what happens when a car rams into a tree at 55 mph. To get an idea of this short amount of time, it takes approximately 2/10 of a second to blink! We suggest you picture your young son or daughter in the driver’s seat.

At 1/10 of a second, the front bumper and grill collapse.

At 2/10 of a second the hood crumbles, rises, and smashes into the windshield while the grillwork disintegrates.

At 3/10 of a second your son/daughter is sprung upright from their seat, their knees break from being jammed under the dashboard, and the steering wheel bends and twist under their grip.

At 4/10 of a second the front of the car is destroyed and dead still, but the rear of the vehicle is still traveling at 55 mph. The half-ton motor impacts with the tree.

At 5/10 of a second your kid's fear-frozen hands bend the steering column into an almost vertical position as they are impaled on the steering wheel shaft. Jagged steel punctures their lungs and arteries.

At 6/10 of a second the impact rips the shoes you bought them off their feet. The vehicle chassis bends in the middle, and your kid's head is slammed into the windshield. The vehicle's rear end begins its downward fall as its spinning tires churn into the ground.

At 7/10 of a second, the entire body of the car is twisted grotesquely out of shape. In one final agonizing convulsion, the front seat rams forward pinning your kid against what used to be the steering wheel shaft and dashboard. Blood pours from their mouth, the result of massive internal injuries. Your kids face is torn into horrible lacerations from smashing through the windshield and almost every bone in their young body is broken. Shock has frozen your kids heart . . . but they don't mind . . . because they are already dead.

Please don't ever let your kids have to experience this! Studies have shown that teens are much safer drivers when they have actively involved parents. Please become very actively involved in your teen's life and driving!