Welcome "krsmart"! About your 2 chevaux, I wouldn't compare: it has (had?) a softer suspension making it an unbeatable "bad roads" vehicle. Whereas the smart is much stiffer. For the "deuche", you had to anticipate the traffic much more, just to survive. Remember the cars stuck behind you while you tried going up a steep hill! And mechanically, it was much simpler to maintain and repair. I like both.
As for safety, I'll keep my smart any day, especially in today's traffic.