crumple zone
noun
: a section of an automobile body designed to absorb the force of an impact in order to protect the passengers
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web In Australia, the government dictates that such bumpers be designed and tested to ensure not only total airbag and crumple zone compliance, but that the bumpers actually work to reduce the forces transmitted to the vehicle in an impact. 
Wes Siler, Outside Online, 27 Jan. 2022 Side-impact protection usually involves the use of EPS foam and other shock-absorbing materials that can lessen the impact of a collision, while the car seat's shell to reduce movement and act as a crumple zone in the event of a side collision. Lauren Corona, chicagotribune.com, 28 Mar. 2021 The entire front of the car in front of the cabin is a crumple zone designed to absorb the impact in a crash before the energy can make its way to the cells. Popular Science, 3 Dec. 2020 But cars started shrinking in the 1980s, and engine bays got smaller as crumple zones and underhood electronics competed with engines for space. Matthew Jancer, Popular Mechanics, 21 Aug. 2018 The brace, then, provides both strength and a crumple zone, of sorts, for the new structure. Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 15 Aug. 2019 In the years that followed, additional safety features were added, such as rear-facing child seats, collapsible steering columns, crumple zones and side collision protection. David Krumboltz, The Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2019 Where passive safety systems like seat belts, air bags, and crumple zones mitigate crash damage, active safety systems work to avoid the collision in the first place. Alex Davies, WIRED, 3 July 2019 The lack of a big engine let Musk’s engineers make the front of the car into an especially effective crumple zone. Alex Davies, WIRED, 3 July 2019 See More
Wes Siler, Outside Online, 27 Jan. 2022 Side-impact protection usually involves the use of EPS foam and other shock-absorbing materials that can lessen the impact of a collision, while the car seat's shell to reduce movement and act as a crumple zone in the event of a side collision. Lauren Corona, chicagotribune.com, 28 Mar. 2021 The entire front of the car in front of the cabin is a crumple zone designed to absorb the impact in a crash before the energy can make its way to the cells. Popular Science, 3 Dec. 2020 But cars started shrinking in the 1980s, and engine bays got smaller as crumple zones and underhood electronics competed with engines for space. Matthew Jancer, Popular Mechanics, 21 Aug. 2018 The brace, then, provides both strength and a crumple zone, of sorts, for the new structure. Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 15 Aug. 2019 In the years that followed, additional safety features were added, such as rear-facing child seats, collapsible steering columns, crumple zones and side collision protection. David Krumboltz, The Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2019 Where passive safety systems like seat belts, air bags, and crumple zones mitigate crash damage, active safety systems work to avoid the collision in the first place. Alex Davies, WIRED, 3 July 2019 The lack of a big engine let Musk’s engineers make the front of the car into an especially effective crumple zone. Alex Davies, WIRED, 3 July 2019 See More Word History
First Known Use
1973, in the meaning defined above