crumple zones

British

plural noun

parts of a motor vehicle, at the front and the rear, that are designed to crumple in a collision, thereby absorbing the impact

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The casting technique was popularised by Tesla as an alternative to the more labour-intensive method of assembling multiple stamped metal panels with crumple zones to absorb energy during a crash.

From Reuters • Oct. 11, 2022

Finally, the new car will also be much safer, both in terms of its rigidity, crumple zones and modern safety equipment.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 30, 2022

As for safety, the drone is built with crumple zones around the pilot's seat to cushion the impact of a low-altitude crash.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2022

They were forced to develop technologies such as crumple zones to absorb impacts, and catalytic converters to meet tough laws imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency in the 1970s.

From Nature • Jul. 14, 2019

Malin Ekholm, the vice president of the Volvo Cars Safety Center, points out that its vehicles’ seats have vertical crumple zones.

From New York Times • Nov. 1, 2018

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023