Small cars fail crash tests against big cars.

KaJuN said:
That's when airbags for your knees, elbows, shins, toes, pinkiea, eyelids, etc. come in handy.
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I actually counted all my airbags in my own car (VERY boring commute at times, traffic is hell, don't ask) and came to 11...all of which do fuck all when having a crash at 40+ mph... :lol:
 
While these crash tests certainly do provide for great videos, their worth as a public service isn't much. One, it is basic physics that you don't even need to be taught. I think anyone could have predicted these sort of results. Second, it is extremely rare that two vehicles of any size collide head on at high speed.

To put these into perspective, they should now do crash tests of SUVs head on into 18-wheelers at high way speeds. Then we will all start driving semi trucks because they are obviously the safest choice in a collision.
 
prizrak said:
I didn't say that we can all survive a 125G of deceleration no matter how sustained it is. I was only arguing against the statement that small cars being smaller decelerate at a much faster rate that would inflict [fatal] internal injuries on the occupants no matter the condition of the passenger compartment or restraint system used. In reality deceleration is generally not quite dramatic enough to produce injuries like that not to mention that even small cars do not decelerate instantly when hitting bigger cars. I can tell you that on average with no passenger compartment intrusion and proper restraints a 40mph head on collision is not deadly.
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Sorry, I misunderstood you.
 
Just found this on youtube and had a good chuckle.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7wG4uy-Phs&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
 
Cobol74 said:
Was not the Pinto known for one of the safest cars of the time? :lol:
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Yeah. Got top marks in the rear-end collision test.
 
^Great! The two of you just broke the internet.. <_<
 
CrazyRussian540 said:
Just found this on youtube and had a good chuckle.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7wG4uy-Phs&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
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:lol::lol::lol:
My mom learned to drive in a galaxie. She told me how it was a tank and if she hit something, the something was what broke.
So needless to say I started giggling as soon as the car names came up as I had an idea of what would happen.
 
The Merc just kicked the Smart right out of it's way like a hacky-sack! lol
 
CrazyRussian540 said:
Just found this on youtube and had a good chuckle.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7wG4uy-Phs&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
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That just makes me want a 70s sled more and more. Imagine what it would do to a modern car, as modern cars are made from much thinner steel.
 
Crazyjeeper said:
That just makes me want a 70s sled more and more. Imagine what it would do to a modern car, as modern cars are made from much thinner steel.
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BUT Modern cars ALSO have much better designed passenger compartment cages and general body reinforcement.
 
Frankly a head-to-head collision between two cars at high speeds is the most unlikely of all scenarios, when it comes to accidents, and therefore is statistically irrelevant in any passive car safety considerations. Or in other words: If you try hard enough, you will find a scenario for every car, where survival is impossible.

So I fail to see the sense in that kind of crash tests. However, there was an article here in a car magazine some time ago about some lobby groups in the USA, which tried to promote big cars and thus support the US car makers by showing that smaller cars were unsafe.

I suppose those videos are connected to that but it's a very stupid strategy, if you ask me.
 
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Crazyjeeper said:
That just makes me want a 70s sled more and more. Imagine what it would do to a modern car, as modern cars are made from much thinner steel.
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[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBDyeWofcLY[/YOUTUBE]
I know its Fifth Gear, but it gets the point across.
 
Proof that everyone needs to start driving small and/or light cars.
 
Ramseus said:
Proof that everyone needs to start driving small and/or light cars.
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Actually the construction principles of recent years were that small cars need to be very rigid and stiff, while big cars need to be softer to take more kinetic energy in a head to head crash.

You will always have bad cards in a Smart in such crashs - simply because the car is so small and light - but when you for example crash a Golf Mk. VI with a current Mercedes S-Class or BMW 7-Series, both cars will be nearly equal in such a situation.
 
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