Ultimate Crash Test | NOVA | PBS

/ May 9, 2025

From NOVA PBS Official.

A first-of-its-kind staged pileup sheds new light on car safety

Official website: https://to.pbs.org/3RwFMOv | #novapbs

What really happens in a multi-vehicle pileup? Surprisingly little is known about the behavior of cars and drivers in uncontrolled, real-world accidents. Go behind the scenes as scientists design a first-of-its-kind experiment to test a large-scale crash. The plan is for eight drivers to drive eight different types of cars by remote control at 70 mph down a hazardous roadway. They only have one shot. Then, follow scientists, engineers, and accident investigators as they analyze a treasure trove of data – more than they’ve ever been able to work with before. See what they find, and discover insights about driver behavior and vehicle design that could save lives.

Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction
00:03:15 Facilitating a Crash Test
00:10:31 Meet the Drivers
00:15:28 Keeping the Test Drivers Safe
00:21:57 Recreating an Icy Road for Crash Test
00:26:56 Staging a Multi-Car Pileup
00:43:51 Preparing the Crash Scene
00:47:58 The Crash
00:55:44 Investigating the Crash
01:33:59 Conclusion

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crash test experiment, multi-vehicle pileup, car accident analysis, vehicle safety testing, driver behavior study. real-world crash data, car crash investigation, seatbelt safety, crash dummies

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