small car worries?

[schmeep]

most of us on this site seem to be driving vehicles on the smaller side of the spectrum (i guess for the obvious reasons),

does anyone else worry about safety in a small car?

no car is completely safe, especially suv's with their tendencies for rollovers, but i would imagine small cars are definitely at the disadvantage in most situations.

[kickflipjr]

I have always liked small cars. They arn't as safe, but most hypermilers are going slower anyways. Small cars these days are way safer then 10 or 20 years ago. They are also heaver a '92 Metro is 1650lbs VS. '05 Aveo is 2350lbs. I guess that weight must help a bit in crash safety.

[MetroMPG]

When I got the Firefly, I was a little concerned about the size at first. It took a little getting used to (eg. the effects of wind buffeting).

When my dad first saw it, he questioned its safety.

"It's safer than my motorcycle," I said Similar to theclencher's story.

I would drive a smaller car. When I ride in other people's (larger) cars now, they feel absolutely massive to me.

I've also taken a lot of driver training, and used to teach defensive driving. That probably colours my view of what's dangerous or not.

[tomauto]

It does depend on what you are hitting, if you are hitting a non-moving object, i.e. a tree, you would be just as likely to get hurt in a car as an larger truck or SUV. In national tests trucks actually score very low in these situations, their frames get bunged up pretty badly.

[onegammyleg]

hehehe , I once heard a saying that said that , ?no one has even died in a crash between two Fiat Bambinos? (tiny bubble car from the late 60's and early 70's)
(its truthfullness is not gauranteed)

who knows if it was true , but it is a very interesting statement anyway.

If all cars were lightweight and high strength for their size just image how many lives would have been saved over the last hundred or so years we have been driving around this planet.

In the USA you are 3 times more likely to get killed in a car accident than being murdered.

[onegammyleg]

But to answer the topics question...

I do not worry about the safety of my small car - However I do worry about the crack head coming my way in a Hummer doing 30 over the limit.

[The Toecutter]

That's always what scares me when I'm on the bicycle- getting mowed down from behind.

Has happened to me by some ***** driving an SUV. She ruined my bike, and then proceeded to speed off before I could obtain the license plate number. If I ever do start riding a bike again, I will start carrying one of my guns, for very obvious reasons. Disrespecting bike riders like that is not cool.

I feel exponentially safer in a Triumph GT6 than on a bicycle if that says anything; Lord knows those aren't the safest cars on the road. I prefer small cars to larger cars because I've had my share of 'near-accidents', and had I been in a larger, less-manueverable vehicle at the time, I'd probably be dead. Getting run off the road by an 18-wheeler is not fun.

[Compaq888]

I feel safe in my car. The only thing I hate about small cars is when a crash happens most of the time the vehicle is disabled. The vehicle will protect you but won't be able to drive any further.

If I had a large vehicle like a SUV after somebody hits me I'm sure I'll be able to chase them down if they run.

Toecutter I hear you on the gun. If the bike or car is SOL the 900mph bullet will still catch up to them. I'm a pretty good shot with a baretta, I'm sure I can shoot out their tires or their skull. Hit and run drivers don't deserve to live anyway.

[JanGeo]

I have avoided getting hit in my Geo MANY time because it IS small and manuvers very quickly as well as stops fast too! Smaller target is harder to hit. Had I been in my Geo instead of my Dads buick I wouldn't have a whiplash injury - Geo is a couple feet shorter and better head rest.

[GasSavers_Ryland]

a few years ago when I got rearended in my '85 civic by a pickup trick, I was looking around for a simaler car and my mom asked if I was sure that I wanted to get another small car, and my reaction was "of course, something even smaller might be nice" that is when I ended up getting the CRX HF, and the only time I didn't feel safe in that was in strong cross winds with semi's passing me (worn out suspention made it jump around in cross winds), a few years back I was reading an artical that was talking about vehicle safty, and people killed per 10,000 cars on the road of differnt modles, it didn't give a full list, and I'm not sure where you would find a full list, but it did say that for every 10,000 Ford exporer's on the road, that vehicle is at fult for killing 220 people, that includes hitting people on bicycles, on foot, people in other cars, and drivers and passengers of those vehicles, the honda civic was 25 people per 10,000 vehicles on the road.
So why would a smaller car be responsible for fewer deaths? it seems to me from watching other drivers that they can't handle the size of vehicle that they are trying to drive, and that in it's self isn't safe.

I also found it intersting a few weeks ago on car talk they had a list of the safest drivers by the line of work they were in, apparently farmers are the safest drivers.

After my own mom questioning if I wanted to drive a small car, she ended up getting a Geo.