People buy small cars even though they can be deadly

Quicksilver · #1 08-20-2007, 02:56 PM

The newest small vehicles, of course, meet today's strict safety standards and can be laden with the latest safety hardware, such as stability control and side air bags. They are safer than ever. And differing designs mean some small cars are safer than average. But even the safest are governed by the laws of physics, which rule in favor of bigger, heavier vehicles, even in single-vehicle crashes.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...all-cars_N.htm

vegasX5 · #2 08-20-2007, 03:12 PM

My friend works at a dealership that sells SMART cars. She tells me all the time about how big they feel and how safe they are for their size. All I do is wonder aloud to her about how well they would do "for their size" in an accident against a Ford F350 that's lifted with a bull bar and winch on the front that just ran a red light at 60mph. Clearly no vehicle would withstand that well, but if you're in an Excursion or any large SUV/truck, you're going to have a better chance of surviving purely as a matter of physics.

rebound · #3 08-20-2007, 03:33 PM

Concur. Newton's Laws aren't suggestions - they're laws.

I always get a kick out of people who go on about how "safe" their small cars are - for their size.

cmyX6go · #4 08-20-2007, 03:37 PM

It scares me. If you're in a car and an Escalade,an Expedition a Tahoe or whatever broadsides you that bumper is head level...

trueX5er · #5 08-20-2007, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

The newest small vehicles, of course, meet today's strict safety standards and can be laden with the latest safety hardware, such as stability control and side air bags.

huh? Please, try to find a small/subcompact that has STANDARD ABS, Traction Control, Stability Control, AND Side Curtain Airbags.
Civic, Corolla, Caliber has optional stability.
Impreza dosen't offer it.
Neither does Versa, Cobalt, Focus, Lancer, Yaris, Fit, Aveo, or Accent.
And not many of those have standard curtain airbags. Some don't even have standard abs.
One of the only "safe" small cars are the Mazda 3, VW Rabbit/Gti/A3, and maybe a few others. Sure, they "can be laden" but many aren't .

Eric5273 · #6 08-20-2007, 03:49 PM

And many people ride motorcycles as well. I suppose there is always something which is large and safer. The price you pay is the cost of the vehicle and the cost of gasoline. I drove a MR2 Spyder for a few years. Was it small? Yes. Would it have been safe in a collision with a SUV? Probably not. Did it have a much better chance of avoiding most collisions than most cars? Yes -- it had much better reflexes than my X5 or any other car I have owned, including my NSX. And that is what my friend who drives a motorcycle tells me all the time -- better to avoid the accident alltogether than to be impressed with how well your car survives the collision.

trueX5er · #7 08-20-2007, 03:50 PM

Yes, that is the saying we've heard forever. But what about then they hit you? Like while going through an intersection, or coming around a blind curve?

Aimster · #8 08-20-2007, 04:00 PM

small cars might get 5/5 ratings, but if a big suv hits them head on at 40mph and they are going 40mph well then... R.I.P

I wish they would test accidents like that rather than the car hitting a standing wall.

gregwx5 · #9 08-20-2007, 04:24 PM

Here is a very interesting video of SMART cars being crash tested....according to the video the car withstands some serious impacts...but the people inside would most likely not survive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s