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HazelNightengale t1_j1zmjwy wrote

Reply to comment by wrath_of_grunge in Noah Galle, Parents, Sued Again After Crash Leaves Six Dead in Delray Beach by Spawnacus

Kinetic energy is quadratic with respect to speed. And a BMW M5 has more mass. The impact of the two is very different- the BMW hitting with almost twice as much kinetic energy at 150 than an Accord at 120. If you actually were able to get the Accord to go that fast, that is.

Would it have made a difference to the people he crashed into? Don't know. But an idiot in an Accord and a jackass in an M5 are nowhere close to each other in terms of force. On a busier road the M5 might have caused more pileup.

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thatsbs t1_j20azzd wrote

Energy = mass * velocity^2

Velocity is clearly the most important variable. Speed literally kills. This is why head on collisions are so deadly (you add the velocity of both vehicles), why flecks of paint in space striking the space station leaves significant damage.

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