Year 10 Physical Science: Vehicle Safety: Crumple Zones

This energy that is be absorbed by the crumple zone is the energy stored in the motion of the car. Any moving object has this type of energy, known as kinetic energy (KE).

Britannica entry explaining the physics of absorption.

Britannica entry explaining the physics of collision and energy absorption.

Also known as a crush zone, crumple zones are areas of a vehicle that are designed to deform and crumple in a collision. This absorbs some of the energy of the impact, preventing it from being transmitted to the occupants.

Wikipedia entry giving a good overview of how crumple zones work.