Crumple zone

The engine compartment at the front of the car is designed to crumple up in the event of a crash. This means that it takes a longer time to come to a standstill. The same momentum is lost over a longer time so we say that the rate of change of momentum is reduced. By Newton's Second Law, a lower rate of change of momentum means that the force of the crash is smaller so you are less likely to get hurt.