crashworthiness

American  

[krash-wur-thee-nis] / ˈkræʃˌwɜr ði nɪs /

noun

1. the ability of a car or other vehicle to withstand a collision or crash with minimal bodily injury to its occupants.

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crashworthiness British  

/ ˈkræʃˌwɜːðɪnɪs /

noun

1. the ability of a vehicle structure to withstand a crash

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Other Word Forms

• crashworthy
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of crashworthiness

First recorded in 1945–50; crash ¹ + -worthy + -ness

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

crashworthiness

The train drivers' union Aslef said there had been a "staggering level of governance and corporate failure" and reiterated concerns about the crashworthiness of high-speed trains.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Under current regulations, such vehicles can only travel 20 to 25 mph and aren’t required to have doors or air bags, and they don’t need to meet crashworthiness tests.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

The subframes in a car underbody are typically hollow to save weight and improve crashworthiness.

From Reuters ● Sep. 14, 2023

One obvious move is to add pedestrian crashworthiness to federal car crash ratings, called the New Car Assessment Program, to estimate crash risk borne by those outside the vehicle.

From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2022

The rule, which applies to vehicles with batteries of 48 volts or more, added protection standards for battery and high-voltage components to the crashworthiness regulations already in place for vehicles sold in the United States.

From Seattle Times ● May 5, 2022

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