Autoblog: IIHS finds sub-compacts fair poorly against mid-size sedans
Laws of physics prevail: The Honda Fit, Smart Fortwo, and Toyota Yaris are good performers in the Institute’s frontal offset barrier test, but all three are poor performers in the frontal collisions with midsize cars. These results reflect the laws of the physical universe, specifically principles related to force and distance.
Oh, and I really liked this part:
Mercedes C class versus Smart Fortwo: After striking the front of the C class, the Smart went airborne and turned around 450 degrees. This contributed to excessive movement of the dummy during rebound - a dramatic indication of the Smart’s poor performance but not the only one.
Have you ever had a bug hit your windshield on the highway? i can imagine it being similar. Tragic at first, but once the truck turns on the wipers it’s all gone, like it never happened.
Yea, every time I see one of those “micro” cars on the road I just think… Smart Car Vs F350… would they survive or would they just cease to exist? Hmmm…
I’ve always said the NHTSA was doing a huge disservice to the public with the way they rate a car’s crash worthiness.
Sure, crashing my SUV and a Honda Fit into a non-deforming immovable barrier makes the Fit look like it did ok. Far less mass stopping from the same speed means far less force that has to be absorbed in the crash. The problem is very rarely do you crash into a non-deforming immovable barrier in the real world. In the real world you’re often crashing into another car and if you’re in a Fit and I’m in an Expedition your 5 star rating becomes a 1/2 star rating.
I hear people saying it all the time when you ask them about their new gas miser. “It actually has very good crash ratings so I’m as safe as I used to be in my big vehicle”. If you crash into a cement barrier or a tree maybe, but good luck if you hit a vehicle larger than you.