Editing Rear-end collision

{{Short description|Traffic-collision type}}
[[File:Jeep Liberty Rear Impact Test.png|thumb|[[Jeep Liberty]] undergoing rear-end crash testing at Chrysler's Proving Grounds]]
[[Image:car.accident.arp.750pix.jpg|thumb|right|250px| A rear-end collision in [[Yate]], near [[Bristol]], [[England]], in July 2004. The car failed to stop when the [[semi-trailer truck|semi truck]] stopped at a [[roundabout]]. The car's [[hood (vehicle)|bonnet]] can be seen deep under the rear of the lorry.]]
[[File:Car accident - NSE Malaysia.jpg|thumb|right|250px| A severe rear-end collision that resulted in a burning wreckage along the North–South Expressway in Malaysia. All occupants escaped.]]
[[File:Multiple cars rear-end collision on highway.webm|thumb|right|250px|Video of rear-end collision between multiple cars on highway.]]

A '''rear-end collision''', often called '''rear-ending''' or, in the UK, a '''shunt''', occurs when a forward-moving [[vehicle]] crashes into the back of another vehicle (often stationary) in front of it. Similarly, rear-end [[classification of railway accidents|rail collisions]] occur when a [[train]] runs into the end of a preceding train on the same [[railway track|track]].<ref name="MyUser_Dictionary.com_November_22_2016c">{{cite web |url=http://www.dictionary.com/browse/rear-end |title=Rear-end |newspaper=Dictionary.com |access-date= November 22, 2016}}</ref> Common factors contributing to rear-end collisions include driver inattention or distraction, [[tailgating]], panic stops, [[brake checking]] and reduced traction due to wet weather or [[road surface#Surface deterioration|worn pavement]].

According to the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), rear-end collisions account for 7.5% of fatal automobile collisions. However, they account for 29% of all [[automobile accident]]s, making them one of the most frequent types of automobile accidents in the [[United States]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |first1= |date=2021 |title=Traffic Safety Facts 2021 |url=https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813527 |access-date=24 July 2024 |website=NHTSA CrashStats |page=67}}</ref>

According to NHTSA in 2020, out of 419,400 people involved in rear-end crashes, less than 1% were killed and over 99% were injured.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Determining Fault After a Rear-End Car Accident |url=https://vaughanandvaughan.com/faqs/who-is-at-fault-for-a-rear-end-car-accident/ |access-date=2025-05-11 |website=Vaughan & Vaughan |language=en}}</ref>

==Overview==
Typical scenarios for rear-ends are a sudden [[deceleration]] by the first car (for example, to avoid someone crossing the street) so that the driver behind it does not have time to brake and collides with it. Alternatively, the following car may [[accelerate]] more rapidly than the leading one (for example, leaving an intersection), resulting in a collision.

Generally, if two vehicles have similar physical structures, crashing into another car is equivalent to crashing into a rigid, immovable surface (like a wall) at half of the closing speed. This means that rear-ending a stationary car while travelling at 50 km/h (30 mph) is equivalent, in terms of deceleration, to crashing into a wall at 25 km/h (15 mph). The same is true for the vehicle crashed into. However, if one of the vehicles is significantly more rigid (e.g. a small car hits the rear of a heavy truck) then the deceleration is more typically reflected by the full closing speed for the less rigid vehicle.

A typical medical consequence of rear-ends, even in collisions at moderate speed, is [[Whiplash (medicine)|whiplash]]. In more severe cases, permanent injuries such as [[Spinal disc herniation|herniation]] may occur. The rearmost passengers in [[minivans]], benefiting little from the short rear [[crumple zone]], are more likely to be injured or killed.<ref name="MyUser_Ktar.com_November_22_2016c">{{cite web |url=http://ktar.com/story/605000/7-delayed-injury-symptoms-after-a-car-crash/ |title=7 delayed injury symptoms after a car crash - KTAR.com |newspaper=Ktar.com |date=31 August 2015 |access-date= November 22, 2016}}</ref>

For purposes of [[insurance]] and [[policing]], the driver of the car that rear-ends the other car is almost always considered at fault due to following too closely, or lack of attention. An exception is if the rear-ended vehicle is in [[Transmission (mechanics)|reverse]] gear. If the driver of the car that was rear-ended files a claim against the driver who hit them, the second driver could be responsible for all [[damages]] to the other driver's car. According to data from the [[NHTSA]], the percentage of rear-end accidents in all crashes is 23–30%.<ref name="MyUser_Iii.org_November_22_2016c">{{cite web |url=http://www.iii.org/issue-update/auto-crashes |title=Auto Crashes |newspaper=Iii.org |access-date= November 22, 2016}}</ref>

The [[Ford Pinto]] received widespread concern when it was alleged that a design flaw could cause fuel-fed fires in rear-end collisions.<ref>* {{cite journal |last=Schwartz |first=Gary T. |title=The Myth of the Ford Pinto Case |journal=[[Rutgers Law Review]] |volume=43 |year=1990 |pages=1013–1068 |url=http://www.pointoflaw.com/articles/The_Myth_of_the_Ford_Pinto_Case.pdf }}</ref>

Recent developments in automated safety systems have reduced the number of rear-end collisions.<ref name="MyUser_Insurancejournal.com_November_22_2016c">{{cite web |url=http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2016/11/15/432279.htm |title=Safety Advocates Frustrated that Accident-Prevention Technologies Remain Optional |newspaper=Insurancejournal.com |date=15 November 2016 |access-date= November 22, 2016}}</ref><ref name="MyUser_Carbuzz.com_November_22_2016c">{{cite web |url=http://www.carbuzz.com/news/2016/9/8/Watch-A-Tesla-Model-S-Avoid-A-Crash-Using-Its-Refined-Safety-Features-7735384/ |title=Watch A Tesla Model S Avoid A Crash Using Its Refined Safety Features |newspaper=Carbuzz.com |date=8 September 2016 |access-date= November 22, 2016}}</ref><ref name="MyUser_Iii.org_November_22_2016c">{{cite web |url=http://www.iii.org/issue-update/auto-crashes |title=Auto Crashes |newspaper=Iii.org |access-date= November 22, 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
[[File:BeforeAndAfterMINICooperS.png|thumb|300px|A MINI Cooper S before and after a rear end impact]]
*[[Following distance]]
*[[Road collision types]]
*[[Tailgating]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Rail accidents}}
{{Road accidents}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rear-End Collision}}
[[Category:Road collisions by type]]
[[Category:Train collisions]]
[[Category:Railway accidents and incidents]]