This Model Could Survive Any Car Crash

Few things disrupt lives as suddenly and completely as a car accident. It all happens so quickly — if a tired, distracted, or careless driver turns at the wrong time or crosses the yellow line, your life might never be the same. And it's more common than you might think. In 2014, more than 20,000 Americans were killed in car crashes, and more than two million were injured. 

So even in our ultra high-tech society, road safety is still of critical importance. So a public traffic safety group in Australia has taken a look at accident safety unlike anything we've ever seen before, and we think you'll never look at it quite the same way again.

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We've made huge strides in making cars and roads safer for people and collisions more survivable.

Airbags, seat belts, crosswalks, and many other developments have all made real differences in people's lives. But the one thing that hasn't evolved to survive a collision is the human body.

Which is where Graham enters the story.

Graham is a model designed to show what a human who had evolved to survive a car crash would look like.

And with a face like that, he's sure to turn heads. But he wasn't created to look good; he was created to bring attention to how vulnerable our bodies are, especially when they're involved in a collision.

Graham was developed by Victoria, Australia's Transport Accident Commission, the brainchild of a trauma surgeon, a crash investigation expert, and a sculptor.

“Cars have evolved a lot faster than humans and Graham helps us understand why we need to improve every aspect of our roads system to protect ourselves from our own mistakes,” said TAC CEO Joe Calafiore.

Although it's hard to look at much other than Graham's, um, unique mug, the really cool stuff is happening underneath his skin.

There are good reasons why Graham looks the way he does, and it's all based off what trauma surgeon Christian Kenfield and road safety engineer David Logan see every day...

There's more to Graham than just a face, of course; he represents a full-body overhaul because car crashes cause so much damage to humans.

"We just don't appreciate when we're talking about the forces in a car accident," says Christian, "But they're incredible. The strongest man cannot hold himself from going forwards in a car accident because the forces are so great."

"A crash is about managing energy," says David, "When we suddenly stop the car because we're in a crash, the energy has to be absorbed by the car and by the driver."

"The body just doesn't have the physiology to absorb the energy when things go wrong."

You would have to look like Graham to survive every crash.

Graham's most obvious feature is his head, which has been given many upgrades to protect the brain.

He has the same-sized brain, but a bigger skull and more brain fluid and ligaments to cushion the brain from an impact. The increased skull size also acts much like an interior helmet with crumple zones that take the impact instead of the brain.

Graham's mighty neck has been bulked up to reduce the effects of the whiplash action in a crash.

The neck is one of the most vulnerable areas, snapping back and forth with the potential to cause both brain and spinal cord injuries, so Graham effectively has no neck anymore. Instead, the ribs move upwards to meet the skull.

But what's the deal with that face?

Graham definitely has an eye-catching face.

Because people often get severe facial injuries, especially to the nose, sinuses, and cheekbones, Graham has a much flatter face, with little in the way of nose and ears that are protected by the skull. And underneath the skin, he has an extra layer of fatty tissue to work as a cushion.

Graham's chest also stands out for some odd features.

Although our ribs are already one of our strongest features for absorbing a crash, Graham has stronger ribs and a barrel chest. And all those weird lumps? They're small airbags, placed between each of the ribs to provide extra cushioning for the internal organs.

Even Graham's legs and feet get a makeover.

He has elongated feet with an extra joint that allows him, as a pedestrian, to jump out of the way of a car faster. The extra joint also helps his legs stay flexible, which helps him absorb the force of an impact while in-car.

Although Graham wasn't designed as a museum piece, he will be put on display at the State Library of Victoria before being taken on a roadshow.

Check out the video below to learn more.

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