Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I always find it so odd that people think they are safer in a big SUV. I think it is much more dangerous because they perform so horribly. They just plow. My high performance car can avoid pretty much anything as it just handles, brakes and accelerates so well. I turn that wheel and it goes where I want and fast. Don't try that in an SUV or even worse a pickup. So dangerous. I'll take avoidance over crashing thanks. Enjoy your false sense of security in your huge clunky vehicle. No thanks.
I drove my bfs Tahoe a few weeks ago when my car was being fixed and found it much less controllable than my car, and I had to hold the wheel more and switch lanes differently. On my way home I drove into an approaching thunderstorm, and i felt like I had to make effort to maintain my lane when the wind picked up.
I have a Subaru Legacy. I think they are considered pretty safe.
Yes they are good. Consistently, Volvo’s get the highest marks when it comes to safety tests. I don’t think there’s many if any big trucks or SUVs in the top ten.
Yes they are good. Consistently, Volvo’s get the highest marks when it comes to safety tests. I don’t think there’s many if any big trucks or SUVs in the top ten.
That's because big trucks stink at stopping, again, there is no perfectly safe vehicle and you technically aren't even safe walking.
the OP sounds like if you don't drive a big suv, and decide to go with a compact car, you will get killed in a car accident. At the end of the day, it is a matter of probability and trade offs. If you get into a car accident, driving a bigger car will definitely give you a better chance of surviving due to law of physics, but it is not like if you drive a compact car, you will get involved in a catastrophic accident and get killed b/c of it.
Of course there are no guarantees, but an accident I witnessed once demonstrated the result of an SUV vs compact collision. I was behind this jerky Geo Metro on the freeway, who kept switching lanes with me in (I assume) an attempt to keep me from passing - which wasn't even my intention, as I was just trying to NOT be in the same lane as this driver. It happened a few times between one freeway and an interchange, then after we merged onto the next freeway, they once again shifted lanes the second I did. But they apparently failed to look first, probably b/c they were too busy watching me in the rear-view, and SLAMMED into a huge suburban-style SUV in the passing lane.
I ended up beside the SUV as it happened, and literally saw the driver do a "what was that?" look over his shoulder - like he'd hit a speed bump or small animal. No damage was apparent on his car, while there were pieces of the Geo strewn about the road. I hate to say "karma," but since it appeared they weren't dead/injured (I saw them start pulling to the shoulder), I don't feel badly for thinking it at the time. Moral of the story: Don't be a jerk, especially if you're driving a tin can on wheels.
Of course there are no guarantees, but an accident I witnessed once demonstrated the result of an SUV vs compact collision. I was behind this jerky Geo Metro on the freeway, who kept switching lanes with me in (I assume) an attempt to keep me from passing - which wasn't even my intention, as I was just trying to NOT be in the same lane as this driver. It happened a few times between one freeway and an interchange, then after we merged onto the next freeway, they once again shifted lanes the second I did. But they apparently failed to look first, probably b/c they were too busy watching me in the rear-view, and SLAMMED into a huge suburban-style SUV in the passing lane.
I ended up beside the SUV as it happened, and literally saw the driver do a "what was that?" look over his shoulder - like he'd hit a speed bump or small animal. No damage was apparent on his car, while there were pieces of the Geo strewn about the road. I hate to say "karma," but since it appeared they weren't dead/injured (I saw them start pulling to the shoulder), I don't feel badly for thinking it at the time. Moral of the story: Don't be a jerk, especially if you're driving a tin can on wheels.
That's probably less "small car versus big car" and more "Large truck frame and tin can." There's small and then there's "Geo Metro." Small cars laugh at the Geo Metro. So do tricycles.
Small cars have the same safety equipment as large cars, but have a better advantage at braking, handling, and acceleration, all of which aid in accident avoidance. Plus they don't roll easily like big SUV's do. And the old heavy American steel cars you speak of (ie Cadillac) had no airbags, no safety glass, primitive lap belts, and no ABS or collision avoidance systems like the most basic cars today do. OP, your post is really bizarre and not well thought out.
Right. My car is not a compact, but it is small, nimble, not apt to roll over, and the safety design will destroy the car if need be to secure the cabin. I feel 100X safer driving it than larger cars. I hate driving larger cars.
That's probably less "small car versus big car" and more "Large truck frame and tin can." There's small and then there's "Geo Metro." Small cars laugh at the Geo Metro. So do tricycles.
A metro is not a compact, it's a subcompact, like the Mini or the Smart Car.
At work I used to drive a 3-wheeler Canadian-made Go-4 Interceptor. It had a 1 L. Hyundai 3-banger and an automatic transmission, and probably weighed about 1200 lbs. It was a very nimble little rig, but governed to a max 45 mph and intended only for in-town use. It would burn rubber for a block, but it would have been very unwise to hit anything with it. It was narrow enough to slip between bollard barricades for access to bike paths and such.
The OP's idea was true - in 1980. Comparative crash testing had just been launched, NHTSA ran cars into a solid wall at 35 mph. This simulated a full front head on crash with a car of the same size - say land yacht Cadillac vs. another identical Cadillac, subcompact Datsun vs. another identical Datsun, etc. The best performers were usually big land yachts, and even the smaller cars that performed well were almost invariably American. Imported small cars - Toyota, Datsun, Honda etc - were the worst performers. Let's put it this way - if two 1980 Honda Civics hit head on each going 35, with only a driver each, there would probably be two fatalities. If two 1980 Cadillac Sevilles had the same crash, the drivers would probably walk away, banged about but not seriously injured.
But this is 2018, and small cars are much safer than they once were. A small car (say the size of a Honda Civic) with good crash test ratings and a full set of side airbags, electronic stability control, etc is a perfectly safe car to drive.
I do have "American Steel" ... a 2012 Camry V6. I've read that the Camry has more american parts than any other make of vehicle. As for being killed, any midsized vehicle should do ok as long as you research crash test ratings. Given that smaller vehicles don't get that much better a gas mileage, there's really no excuse to buy a Toyota Yaris or Corolla over a Camry unless you absolutely must buy new. Midsized cars offer the best combination of gas mileage to safety to size compromise and if you can afford to pay cash, buying them lightly used with about 20,000 to 40,000 miles is the best bang for the buck.
I love modern vehicles like the V6 Camry because they can still get 30 MPG interstate while still giving me the power to pass slow people quickly.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
