Quote:
|
Originally Posted by ravenheart
I dont particularly like micro cars but in fairness this test (40 mph frontal) is the least likely crash type, so people considering one of these car should take this with a grain of salt. Basicly you have to go at highway speeds, cross the median (dont know if the wheels are big enough to do that?  ) and then not hit the brakes until the last momment for this to occur RL.
Yes, if you intend to swirve into oncoming traffic you'd be better off in a Range Rover than a small car. But in most other situations these cars will be no worse than most other cars of comparable price.
So if you use your city car as a city car (what a novel idea) you should be perfectly safe. |
huh?? What are you talking about?
By far the most common accident I see in the city is around a 40 mph offset/head on collision. A car is heading down a 4-6 lane wide road with a 45 mph speed limit typical of most major cities. The light turns yellow and a car speeds up to about 55-60 mph to beat the light. At the same time, someone in the opposite direction tries to hurry and turn left to beat the same yellow (where there isn't a red left turn arrow). Two cars smash into each other one going north of 50 mph and one going anywhere from 15-30+ mph. I see an accident like that almost every single day.
I don't disagree that something like a Fit or Prius has its place in certain cities - ie all over Europe in super congested cities where you cannot reasonably go faster than 30mph and parking space is super premium. Maybe even someplace like San Francisco or similar cities in the US. But I think for the vast majority of the US, these cars are simply not as safe as alternatives when you're going up against Suburbans, F350s, semis, and X5's too!
