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.

Reacting to driver complaints and concussions to Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman, the sanctioning body made changes to the crumple zones in the backend of Cup Series cars in hopes of reducing the effects of rear-impact collisions.

From Seattle Times

The car was specifically designed to improve safety, with changes that included taller, wider and identical bodies, larger crumple zones and impact-absorbing foam built into both sides.

From Seattle Times

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

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

From Seattle Times

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

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