We never forget about how safe we want to keep our families but often lose sight of just how dangerous vehicles can be. The responsibility of stepping behind the wheel is just as heavy as the weight of the car. There is so much power and force behind a moving vehicle! The average new car weighs about 3,280 pounds. And SUVs average around 4,800. (vehq.com) Vehicles hitting each other is fairly common but imagine all of that weight barreling into your house!
A normal wood frame home would be torn to shreds. Think about a wrecking ball not only swinging at the side of a house but hitting low & wide, taking out support beams. That would cause BIG damage.
Because ICF walls are made with “a solid core of steel-reinforced concrete sandwiched between two layers of shock-absorbing foam,” (icfmag.com) vehicles that have hit ICF homes come out completely wrecked while occupants inside the home have just heard a loud THUD and, upon investigation, have found a crumpled vehicle outside.
Minor damages are done to homes hit with such force and most of it is simply cosmetic damage.
This car was traveling around 45-50 mph when it crashed into an ICF home in New York. The house sustained some injuries but they were truly minor. Check out the images from this car-on-house collision…
Look at the siding, downspout, and foam damage:
Now look at the car:
Neighbors reported the car more or less bounced right off of the home. And the driver was taken to the hospital with some injuries but no other parties were injured! So impressive!
Another homeowner in Florida reported that in the middle of the night, a thudding noise woke him. When he went to investigate, two headlights were shining through his living room, inches from the window. This driver had been drunk driving through residential areas, lost control, and slammed into the home at over 90 mph. The house needs some minor repair work but look at the front of this car!
Just goes to show that whether you’re trying to protect yourself and your family from hurricanes or runaway vehicles, building your home with ICF is the safest way to go!
