Owners of small cars..do you worry?

lovinwaves said:

I thought I would post this link on this thread also, because they mention "small and larger" cars in their article being a factor in death rates. The poster that said something about their Civic was kind of "hummm? " to me, because the Civic got best pick by the IIHS. Therefore you are in a safe car.

Another thing to consider is the VW Bug got a best pick also by IIHS. The way the car is shaped, like an egg, is safer than some cars that are larger than it in frontal crashes. That's pretty amazing to me. So larger does not always mean safer, and sometimes smaller can be safer that larger. I think it greatly depends on each car. It is important to do LOTS AND LOTS of research before purchasing your car. Size I don't think "always" matters, according to research and facts.

Most Dangerous Vehicles

If anyone can't open this let me know and I will show you another way to read it.

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CPSDarren said:

There are a few problems with this information. The study is for death rates per vehicle. While that sounds like great information, you need to keep in mind that by the time it is compiled, the vehicles studied are already a few years old and so it may not apply to current (or previous) models. Also, there is a large factor of driver demographics that cannot be completely separated from the vehicle's inherent safety. Drivers who tend to buy certain classes of vehicles or even particular brands/models do tend to be less safe drivers than those of other models. It is interesting data, but nearly meaningless if you don't also look at factors like crash test results, safety features and weight.

The comparsions at www.informedforlife.org try to simulate the risk to passengers in current vehicles based on statistically sound fundamental factors like those I listed.

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CPSDarren said:

A small car with good crash test results and safety features like side curtain airbags and stability control will be very safe overall.

That said, weight is a factor in multiple vehicle frontal crashes. IIHS studies have shown that up until about 4000 pounds or so, increased weight is an advantage if you are in a head-on crash with another vehicle. Also, the risk in a frontal crash is generally much greater to occupants in the front seat who are closer to the dash, window, airbags, steering wheel, etc. Properly restrained kids in the back seat rely somewhat less on the weight of the vehicle to save them in a frontal crash in all but the most severe impacts. In fact, side impacts are more deadly to properly restrained passengers.

Fortunately, weight is usually not as important a factor in side and rear impacts or in frontal impacts with fixed objects like a wall or pole. Also, many heavier vehicles like SUVs and trucks tend to be more top heavy. That creates a higher risk of rollovers.

As I said in another post, regardless of what you drive, the most important things are to restrain all your passengers correctly, drive unimpaired and drive undistracted. Those factors are far more important than your choice of vehicle or carseat.

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CPSDarren said:

Trucks and truck-based SUVs do have some advantages. They tow better and they do heavy off-roading better. Higher riding vehicles may indeed have some advantage in side impacts like you say, though car-based SUVs would have this advantage just as a truck-based one would. The flipside is that the higher the vehicle, the higher the center of gravity and the greater the rollover risk. That is an important fatality risk in side impacts [that can cause rollovers], too.

The disadvantage of truck-based SUVs is generally due to the stiffer frame and suspension. They tend to transfer more energy to occupants in single vehicle crashes (wall/pole) and in crashes with other large, truck-based vehicles. They also don't tend to have the handling of car-based vehicles. There are exceptions, of course, and todays truck-based models are much better than those from even a few years ago. Fortunately, many also now come with critical features like stability control and rollover protection side curtain airbags.

Though there are real differences among vehicles, we're not talking about the difference between safe and unsafe, but usually the difference in safe and safer. The vast majority of modern vehicles are quite safe, especially for properly restrained kids in the back seat. The link from www.informedforlife.org gives you an idea of the relative fatality risk based on actual statistics. Using 2006 models with a complete set of tests, you find that the Ford Escape has about 3 times the risk of a similarly priced Kia Sedona. Even some affordable car-based SUVs like the Ford Freestyle, Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander have impressive results. Unfortunately, many truck-based models don't have results in some important tests.

Double or triple the risk sounds like a big difference among models, but the actual risk for any of them is quite low. Just making sure all passengers are properly restrained and driving undistracted/unimpaired makes the overall risk of a serious crash very, very small. You could argue that 3x nothing is still nothing and have a valid point, too.

There are other factors as well. If you frequently tow a 5000 pound boat to a remote lake, you could easily make the claim that a full sized truck based SUV with 4WD is a safer choice than an AWD Sienna. I'd even have no problems putting my kids into a Suburban as a daily driver, based on safety. Their restraints will protect them very well in the back seat. I'd have far more concern for myself, other front seat passengers and the environment;-)

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