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

Etymology

Origin of crashworthiness

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

crashworthiness

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 aluminium alloys used to produce the castings behaved differently in sand and metal molds and often failed to meet Tesla's criteria for crashworthiness and other attributes.

From Reuters ● Sep. 14, 2023

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

They created the science of crashworthiness in the 1930s and 1940s.

From Nature ● Jul. 14, 2019

Damage awards and regulatory penalties have motivated automobile manufacturers to improve crashworthiness and to promote crashworthiness as a desirable feature.

From Slate ● Mar. 23, 2018