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By that logic, anything smaller than a Nissan Armada, Ford Expedition, or Cadillac Escalade is a dangerous vehicle.
It's nothing to do with logic and everything to do with physics. All other things being equal you are safer in those vehicles than a smaller vehicle. In a high speed accident it's the sudden stop that kills you and when you have two vehicles of different weight the smaller vehicle and the passengers in it that decelerate faster.
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Safety is only part of the consideration to owning a vehicle. You must consider reliability, practicality, fuel economics, style, interior, exterior, features, repair costs, insurance costs, maintenance costs.
I haven't said otherwise however if your main concern is the safety of a vehicle look at large sedans.
It's nothing to do with logic and everything to do with physics. All other things being equal you are safer in those vehicles than a smaller vehicle. In a high speed accident it's the sudden stop that kills you and when you have two vehicles of different weight the smaller vehicle and the passengers in it that decelerate faster.
And if everyone owned a big car, the safety advantage of owning a big car would be effectively neutralized.
If two Cadillac Escalades run into each other in a high speed accident, it won’t be a pretty sight. So you can thank all the small car owners for providing such a “great safety advantage.”
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Originally Posted by thecoalman
I haven't said otherwise however if your main concern is the safety of a vehicle look at large sedans.
At the cost of high gas prices, high depreciation, less parking space, lack of acceleration and sportiness, not a chance.
I moved up to a Silverado a couple of years ago from a smaller truck, and did so because of the utility and function. But last December in East Texas I had a large deer run right in front of me as I was traveling on the highway.
A lot of damage, but airbags everywhere and no injuries; also, after talking to friends and coworkers about similar experiences, I'm glad I had the deer go under me rather than through the windshield like smaller vehicles are prone to experience.
My mother has a Smart Fortwo and she got in a accident with a drunk drivers Chevrolet Suburban and no one was injured so I think its a myth that you need a bigger car to be safe
I guess this is as good a thread as any to tell my amusing tale of a big ole truck.
I had rented a Fiat 500 in france - loved that tiny thing. No problem with parking and it was great on the narrow roads between quaint villages.
It came time to return it in Antibes and I was driving past a row of angled parking spaces. The very last tiny spot was occupied by a HUGE truck. I recognized it as a Nissan, maybe a Titan or was Nissan introducing a bigger behemoth?
As I turned the corner I recognized it as a mid sized Frontier, same as I drive at home. So my point is it's all a matter of perspective.
Im very tall and I fit fine in a Kia Forte, Elentra, Chevy Cruze ad Corolla etc and they would be fine as a commuter car, but when I see them parked in a parking lot next to F150, Silveardo, Explorer and others SUVs and see the huge difference in size, it always pushed me to atleast a Mid to Full sized car, just for more buffering room in case of an accident, even though I might take a 5-10mpg hit on gas for the bigger car.
Do you buy a much bigger car than needed for safety/ simply due to the amount of 4-5000 SUV and pickups on the road?
No, not necessarily larger, but well engineered and very safe for its class- a 2004 Forester. It does most things in an above average manner.
You will never have the biggest vehicle on the road. By that logic, anything smaller than a Nissan Armada, Ford Expedition, or Cadillac Escalade is a dangerous vehicle.
Safety is only part of the consideration to owning a vehicle. You must consider reliability, practicality, fuel economics, style, interior, exterior, features, repair costs, insurance costs, maintenance costs.
The gas, depreciation, and maintenance of SUVs and trucks is a high price to pay for a little safety in the case of an accident.
A big difference in SUV class sizes in terms of gas, depreciation, and maintenance of a Ford Expedition compared to a Subaru Crosstrek.
No. Unless I have a need for a truck, I've always bought the smallest car I can find. At one time I was driving a Toyota Starlet. Right now I have a Hyundai Accent, I think - whatever the smallest Hyundai was in 2003.
I only get a big truck or car if I need to haul stuff around, such as when I was building my house (as in with my own two hands).
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