Are SMALL Cars Just As Safe As SUVs? Does SIZE Change Your Perception Of Safety?

Are SMALL Cars Just As Safe As SUVs? Does SIZE Change Your Perception Of Safety?
For the safety-minded buyers out there in the AutoSpies universe, we've got a special story for you tonight. We're going to focus in on crash tests because one thing that's been plaguing me is if small cars are less safe than bigger ones.

Everytime I tell folks I can fit in a Smart and I drove one, the first or second question immediately centers around safety: "Weren't you scared driving that little thing around?" or "Are you crazy? There's no way I'd be caught dead in that thing, it's not safe!"

I'd like to think otherwise, since cars have drastically improved across the board in recent years; however, I don't know what to think after stumbling across several videos down below.

In the first one, the all-new Fiat 500 takes a beating; however, it appears to be in relatively good shape as is its respective dummy.

The second video features a 500 going head-on into an Audi Q7. Guess what? The results are pretty ugly.

And to wrap things up I figured I'd show an average vehicle up against a Smart ForTwo.

I think I'll let the videos do the talking and let YOU do the judging.

With that said, what say you?
 









truckmantruckman - 10/20/2011 3:30:26 AM
+3 Boost
Larger trucks and SUVs are safer when they collide with small cars, this isn't new. That Fiat's door opened after the impact, a big fail!


truckmantruckman - 10/20/2011 3:30:26 AM
+3 Boost
Larger trucks and SUVs are safer when they collide with small cars, this isn't new. That Fiat's door opened after the impact, a big fail!


1c3am51c3am5 - 10/20/2011 6:28:22 AM
+3 Boost
Can I simply avoid small cars because they are a depressing reminder of our declining American middle-class, and ridiculous fear-mongering from the agenda-driven media-government complex?


HoustonMidtownHoustonMidtown - 10/20/2011 7:42:42 AM
+3 Boost
You can't defy physics....bigger is gonna smash smaller


monstermonster - 10/20/2011 8:23:47 AM
+1 Boost
We need to go bigger. we should start driving MAC trucks. They are safer than SUVs. ***sarcasm***


PUGPROUDPUGPROUD - 10/20/2011 8:24:19 AM
+3 Boost
Size counts in cars, diamonds, women, salary, fighting, basketball,
football, etc etc.


1c3am51c3am5 - 10/20/2011 8:31:37 AM
+2 Boost
MAC trucks supply tools to mechanics. Mack Trucks is a builder of heavy commercial vehicles.


ShredmoShredmo - 10/20/2011 11:06:03 AM
+1 Boost
I'd like to see something like a late model Subaru Impreza vs this Audi SUV. Comparing cars of similar safety but of differing size would be interesting. Size matters a lot, but construction should also be taken into account.


cdokecdoke - 10/20/2011 11:06:35 AM
+4 Boost
"Trucks/SUVs are inherently safer as they are built more rugged and rigid."

Not really true. All things being equal (mass and velocity), a larger vehicle is still safer. Why? Because the time of the impact is extended (think of a force curve- impulse- i.e. area under the curve- in both situations is the same), and so the actual maximum force is less.

In the videos where the little care actually BOUNCES OFF the other- that is a really bad sign.


cdokecdoke - 10/20/2011 11:07:34 AM
+2 Boost
"car" not "care",,,


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 10/20/2011 12:17:00 PM
+1 Boost
I believe, cdoke is saying there is a direct relationship between mass and impact accelerations, but there isn't one between chassis stiffness (ruggedness) and these accelerations. One could go further saying that a stiffer chassis could invariably end up with higher passenger impact accelerations if crumple zones weren't properly designed.


grenouillegrenouille - 10/20/2011 11:07:23 AM
+2 Boost
With today's crash test standarts many small cars are build in a way so they pass the test then the manufacturer screams that they make safe cars but in real life they're not that safe...


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 10/20/2011 11:38:13 AM
-1 Boost
Todays crash standards have a sliding scale. A 5 star compact car is held to a lower standard than a 5 star pickup truck.


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 10/20/2011 11:40:46 AM
0 Boost
This being said, small cars like a smart car might not kill you by decapitating your parts, they will kill you through internal bleeding caused from the higher accelerations cdoke mentioned. It's not enough to watch a crash test video, you have to also measure accelerations on the driver.


CarCrazedinCaliCarCrazedinCali - 10/20/2011 2:06:49 PM
+3 Boost
my MINI held up well in two rear-end impacts with full-size SUVs, the damage was limited to the exterior and I have seen photos of a 60mph T-bone accident involving a MINI and a truck and the door beams barely bent inward- wow!


truckmantruckman - 10/20/2011 11:33:55 PM
+1 Boost
This may be a miracle, although I realize that small cars can be sort of safe, but I would still rather be in a larger suv.


truckmantruckman - 10/20/2011 11:33:55 PM
+2 Boost
This may be a miracle, although I realize that small cars can be sort of safe, but I would still rather be in a larger suv.


lv_vllv_vl - 10/23/2011 1:49:26 AM
+1 Boost
It's all relative. If you hit a tree or a barrier, you are most likely to survive, even in Fiat 500. If you are hit by a commercial truck or a train - you have almost no chances of surviving, even if you are in a hummer.

Also, you are much safer in a Smart of Fiat 500 than riding a Harley.


FromThePassengerSeatFromThePassengerSeat - 10/23/2011 3:37:17 PM
+1 Boost
Let me say this: an attentive driver can avoid an accident in a lighter car much more easily. Agility counts when calculating how safe a car is. And consider this as well: if a Suburban crashes head-on into an Elise, the Elise driver is probably dead while the Suburban driver will most likely be fine. BUT if two identical cars crash, the two drivers are equally at risk of injury. If you drive a heavy car, you're endangering anyone you may crash into. It's the weight of a car COMPARED to the other's weight that matters. If every car in existence suddenly lost five hundred pounds, would people be in more danger? Of course not.


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 10/23/2011 5:08:24 PM
+1 Boost
If you have two smart cars crashing into each other versus say... two suburbans the smart car passengers will be worse off. Sure, they may both be stopping dead, but the smart cars will be getting to a dead stop over a much shorter distance.
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