Big cars are safer than small cars
 

Shocker: Small Cars Don't Protect as Well in Collisions
Date posted: 04-13-2009

ARLINGTON, Virginia — Turns out your parents were right after all: Big cars really do protect you better in a collision than small cars. Or so says the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which tested pairs of large and small cars from three manufacturers — Daimler, Honda and Toyota.

The IIHS performed car-to-car crash tests between the 2009 Toyota Camry and Yaris, the 2009 Honda Accord and Fit and the 2009 Mercedes-Benz C300 and Smart Fortwo. While all vehicles performed relatively well in the institute's frontal offset barrier test, all three small cars received poor ratings in the crash tests with midsize cars.

"There are good reasons people buy minicars," said IIHS President Adrian Lund. "They're more affordable, and they use less gas. But the safety tradeoffs are clear from our new tests. Equally clear are the implications when it comes to fuel economy. If automakers downsize cars so their fleets use less fuel, occupant safety will be compromised."

As it does in the frontal barrier tests, the IIHS rated performance in the 40-mph car-to-car tests based on measured intrusion into the occupant compartment, as well as forces recorded on the driver dummy and movement of the dummy during the impact. According to the test results, the likelihood of injury goes up in the smaller vehicle.

"Though much safer than they were a few years ago, minicars as a group do a comparatively poor job of protecting people in crashes, simply because they're smaller and lighter," Lund said.

Sometimes the conventional wisdom turns out to be correct. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...syaris.500.jpg
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety issued photos graphically depicting what happens when a Toyota Camry meets the smaller Yaris...

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...dvsfit.500.jpg
when a Honda Accord meets the more diminutive Fit...

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...ssmart.500.jpg
and when a Mercedes-Benz C-Class gets up close and personal with the Smart Fortwo.

I can't believe it.
Why didn't I think of this?

um....

.....

legit tip.

Holy shit look @ the Yaris Sedan !

This should put to rest all those (no names mentioned) who insisted their Hondas were safer than my 1984 Oldsmobile back in tha day. :rolleyes:

To be honest, that's the biggest problem with modern crash tests. They only show protection against stationary objects. In the city I'd imagine most collisions are with other vehicles.

roll cage it!!

BUT!!!!!
if the car is too big... they could flip while drifting. lol

Unless you're talking 1984 Hondas, they probably were. Technology of a newer car can more than make up for lack of mass.

"According to the test results, the likelihood of injury goes up in the smaller vehicle."

I responded to this with a picture that said "No Shit Sherlock"

If some1 were to tell me "According to test results, the likelyhood of injury goes up in the older vehicle," I'd probably respond using the same picture...

did they really need to perform these experiments to figure it out?

common sense...

Next study should be; which one is safer now, a car or a motorcycle. Im interested to know what the results of this study is.

Holy shit glad I don't drive a Yaris that thing got fucked up bad.

Yaris are gross, what was Toyota thinking?

I"m sure we all know this already.

but the pictures are nice to look at, to see what sort of disparity there actually is.

actually the small cars here all have a 4-5 star frontal test but looking at the front of the yaris.... and how the window frame is bent like that. The fit survived a lot better

k = mv^2. 'nuff said

You forgot the 1/2.

u got me, havent done physics in a long time

Sure in a controlled crash like these, small cars may be inferior. However on the roads, their great maneuverability and small size might allow them to AVOID a collision in the first place. The Honda Fit has great handling and can out slalom most other cars in and above it's class.

Hahahaha, that was a Timpo-esque reply if I have ever seen one. THEY ARE NOT TESTING THEIR CRASH AVOIDANCE. THEY ARE SEEING HOW THEY STAND UP TO BEING HIT BY A LARGER CAR.

facepalm.jpg

whats so special at Volvos? they arnt that big in size