Quote:
Originally Posted by simnew
So the reason that the bonnet has that split at the front is to accommodate the fact that on impact the whole lid of the bonnet is raised like an airbag to cushion the damage of the head hitting the bonnet and then then engine or bottom of the windscreen.
It is now a legal requirement for all newly designed cars made in Europe to follow this safety legislation.
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+1, Last month's Roundel had a great write up on it. I'm going to add that there are additional rules requiring the hood to be 'X" amount of airspace bewteen it and the engine. The lack of protruding bumper also has an effect upon how a pedestrian hits the hood not to mention lessen the chance of broken legs.