NOVA

What really happens in a multi-vehicle pileup? A first-of-its-kind experiment aims to stage a high speed crash to gain new insights on car safety. But how can they create and study a complex collision without putting any lives in danger?

A first-of-its-kind experiment aims to stage a multi-vehicle pileup to gain new data on car safety.

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Surprisingly little is known about the behavior of cars and drivers in uncontrolled, real-world accidents, despite rigorous testing in laboratory-controlled crashes. Now, a first-of-its-kind experiment aims to discover what really happens in a multi-vehicle pileup and how cars and driving could be made safer.In the first episode of this two-part special, go behind the scenes as scientists make a series of high-stakes decisions to ensure the ambitious experiment goes off without a hitch. They only have one shot. The plan is for 8 drivers to drive 8 different cars by remote control at 70 mph down a hazardous straightaway. But how can they best represent real-world conditions to create a crash, especially when the drivers have no idea what’s about to happen? How do they ensure that the remote drivers feel natural behind the wheel? And what is needed to fully capture every data-point possible? The intense preparation for the most ambitious crash test ever conducted culminates in the moment of truth as the cars barrel down an airport tarmac and collide in a massive, multi-vehicle pile-up. (Premiered May 7 at 9 pm on PBS)

A first-of-its-kind experiment aims to stage a multi-vehicle pileup to gain new data on car safety.

Tech & Engineering

Car safety experts just pulled off a first-of-its-kind remote controlled multi-vehicle pile up. Now investigators are put to the test as they analyze the data and look for insights into driver behavior and vehicle design.

Forensic science is put to the test after the first-ever staged multi-vehicle pileup.

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Surprisingly little is known about the behavior of cars and drivers in uncontrolled, real-world accidents, despite rigorous testing in laboratory-controlled crashes. Now, a first-of-its-kind experiment aims to discover what really happens in a multi-vehicle pileup and how cars and driving could be made safer.In the second episode of this two-part special, forensic analysis is put to the test. Real-life crash scene investigations have very little data to work with, so are they accurate? And what can we learn about car safety when there is actual data to show exactly what happened? 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. Interviews with drivers offer valuable clues into what they saw and how they reacted, and a LIDAR scan of the scene is stitched together into a digital version of the entire event that can be analyzed millisecond by millisecond. In this unprecedented look at a major multi-vehicle accident, discover insights about driver behavior and vehicle design that could save lives. (Premiered May 14 at 9 pm on PBS)

Forensic science is put to the test after a first-of-its-kind staged pileup.

Forensic science is put to the test after a first-of-its-kind staged pileup.

What really happens in a multi-vehicle pileup? Surprisingly little is known about the behavior of cars and drivers in uncontrolled, real-world accidents. In this two-part special, 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. (A two-part series premiering May 7 and May 14 at 9 pm on PBS.)

In this two-part special, a first-of-its-kind staged pileup sheds new light on car safety.

In this two-part special, a first-of-its-kind staged pileup sheds new light on car safety.

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