The crumple zones of an automobile are a structural feature designed to compress during an accident to absorb energy from an impact. Typically, crumple zones are located in the front part of the vehicle, in order to absorb the impact from a head-on collision, though they may also be found on other parts of the vehicle as well.
Crumple zones work by lengthening the time a vehicle takes to come to a stop. This reduces the magnitude of the forces and deceleration felt by the occupants, since they are spread over a longer time. Therefore, a properly restrained passenger will have a smaller force applied to their bones and organs, and are more likely to survive a crash.
