The Crumple Zone is a structural feature mainly of automobiles. Crumple zones have also been incorporated into railcars in recent years. They are designed to absorb the energy from the impact during an accident by controlled deformation. This energy is much higher than is commonly recognized. The severity of a collision with a pole or tree at 60 km/h is similar to driving over a 10 meter sheer drop and crashing onto a hard surface.

Typically, crumple zones are located in the front part of the vehicle, in order to absorb the impact of a head-on collision, though they may be found on other parts of the vehicle as well. According to a British Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre study of where on the vehicle impact damage occurs: 65% were front impacts, 25% rear impacts, 5% left side, and 5% right side. Some racing cars use aluminium or composite/carbon fiber honeycomb to form an impact attenuator that dissipate crash energy using a much smaller volume and lower weight than road car crumple zones. Impact attenuators have also been introduced on highway maintenance vehicles in some countries.