Hydraulic Bumper

Series

Series Name
Living Tomorrow

Issue

Issue No.
211
Date Released
1977
Length of issue (in feet)
520
Stories in this Issue:

Story

Story No. within this Issue
1 / 4
Summary
COI synopsis: If a heavy lorry stops suddenly, its tailboard takes on the appearance of a knife. It slices through the soft metal of cars, crashing into it, either decapitating the passengers or snapping their necks. But by incorporating a hydraulic bumper on the lorry tailboard, over three-quarters of the impact energy can be absorbed. The saloon car behind meets a kind of elastic barrier which saves lives and leaves the lorry itself intact and capable of continuing to work.
Keywords
Science and technology; Safety devices; Motor vehicles; Road transport; Engineering; Design
Written sources
COI Microfilm Roll 52 [BFI National Archive]   Used for synopsis
COI Reference
MI 1458/211
Credits:
Sponsor
Central Office of Information (COI)
Sponsor
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Cutter
Maurice Tarling

This series is held by:

Film Archive

Name
British Film Institute (BFI)
Email
For BFI National Archive enquiries:
nonfictioncurators@bfi.org.uk
For commercial/footage reuse enquiries:
footage.films@bfi.org.uk
Web
http://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web
Phone
020 7255 1444
Fax
020 7580 7503
Address
21 Stephen Street
London W1T 1LN
Notes
The BFI National Archive also preserves the original nitrate film copies of British Movietone News, British Paramount News, Empire News Bulletin, Gaumont British News, Gaumont Graphic, Gaumont Sound News and Universal News (the World War II years are covered by the Imperial War Museum).
Series held
View all series held by British Film Institute (BFI)

How to cite this record

'Hydraulic Bumper', Living Tomorrow Issue No. 211, 1977. https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/newsonscreen/search/index.php/story/325899 (Accessed 16 Jul 2025)