Surprisingly little is known about the behavior of cars anddrivers in uncontrolled, real-world accidents, despiterigorous testing in laboratory-controlled crashes. Now, afirst-of-its-kind experiment aims to discover what reallyhappens in a multi-vehicle pileup and how cars and drivingcould be made safer.In the first episode of this two-partspecial, go behind the scenes as scientists make a series ofhigh-stakes decisions to ensure the ambitious experiment goesoff without a hitch. They only have one shot. The plan is for 8drivers to drive 8 different cars by remote control at 70 mphdown a hazardous straightaway. But how can they best representreal-world conditions to create a crash, especially when thedrivers have no idea what's about to happen? How do they ensurethat the remote drivers feel natural behind the wheel? And whatis needed to fully capture every data-point possible? Theintense preparation for the most ambitious crash test everconducted culminates in the moment of truth as the cars barreldown an airport tarmac and collide in a massive, multi-vehiclepile-up.
