The Uncomfortable Truth About Human Fragility on the Road
- Selina Barker
- Mar 26
- 3 min read
Modern cars are designed to withstand collisions and keep their passengers as safe as possible. Crumple zones, safety cages, vehicle assistance technology, seatbelts, airbags, and many more features have been incorporated into vehicle designs over the years in order to improve the safety of the human behind the wheel. But what would it look like if the human body could withstand collisions without injury all on its own?
Meet Graham
It’s been 10 years since Graham was introduced to the world – a humanoid sculpture created as a thought exercise in the concept of crash-resistant bodies. He was designed for a road safety campaign from the Transport Accident Commission of Victoria, Australia in an effort to showcase what the human body would look like if it had been designed to survive low-speed (under 30 km/h) crashes unscathed. Since his creation, images of Graham have circumnavigated the globe and made quite an impression.
Graham was intended to raise awareness of how vulnerable we are on the road. If the human body would need to be built like Graham in order to remain unscathed in a low-speed crash, it highlights just how fragile the bodies we have are when involved in a collision. For example, Graham was designed with a large skull that acts as a helmet to his brain, according to artist Patricia Piccinini. This is because head injuries are some of the most common serious injuries sustained in a collision, says Dr. David Logan, a road safety engineer with the project.
Serious head injuries can occur in collisions of all types, including those at speeds as low as 30 km/h, because speed isn’t the only risk factor in a crash – the sudden stop is incredibly dangerous, too.
“...as the head stops, the brain actually keeps moving forwards, smashing against the front part of the skull and then bouncing backwards and getting an injury on the back of the head as well.”
The deadly results of collisions are not something most of us think about when we’re on the road. We forget how fragile our bodies – and our lives – really are when we’re barreling down a highway trying to get to work on time. We feel like the two tons of steel encasing us is impenetrable, and we get used to things going smoothly for so long that we tuck any possibility of death or injury away in the far recesses of our minds.
Graham was designed to bring those tucked away thoughts back into the forefront of our minds when we set foot in our vehicles. When each of us is actively aware of how much damage we can do and how much damage can be done to us, we drive more carefully.
“Our bodies are strong, but there’s only so much force we can withstand before we break. That’s why we need to ensure we have a safe system in place...”
Safe Systems
Outside of redesigning the human body, there are things drivers can do to help improve our chances of surviving a collision. The easiest way is to wear your seatbelt correctly every time you’re in a vehicle. Seatbelts should sit across your hips and cross your chest and shoulder.
You can reduce your risk of being involved in a collision altogether by maintaining a safe following distance from those around you. This distance allows you space to swerve out of the way of danger and provides the space you will need to occupy if you skid, slip, or are pushed forward, allowing you to avoid a chain-reaction collision with the vehicle ahead of you.
Keep Graham in your thoughts before you start your engine, as a tangible visual to remind you of the dangers of driving.
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