Abstract
In order to improve the crashworthiness of vehicles, attention must be given both to an improvement of the occupant crash protection and to a reduction in the "aggressiveness'' of heavy vehicles toward lighter vehicles. The latter requires a "soft nose" on the heavier vehicle. By use of hydraulic shock absorbers in the bumper system, an energy-absorption distribution can be achieved in vehicle-to-vehicle- collisions without requiring larger deformations on the large vehicle than on the smaller vehicle.