Hitting a Deer in a Smart

[dava92]

Living in Virgina as well as other states you can encounter deer while driving.. What does everyone think might happen if you encounter a deer at 40-60 mph? Hate to think about it but it is a reality. There is not much space between the front of the car and your face...

[AnitaInKC]

A 'Dear' what?

Sorry...couldn't resist! :-)

[shack01]

Or "Dear" whom?

tm

[bmx43]

that would suck. that's what i think. however, it would suck more on a motorcycle.

[sisyphus]

The space between the front of the car and your face is really irrelevant. The real problem arises if/when the deer comes through the windshield! But remember, the smart is a much narrower than the usual car, and more nimble. There is less of it to hit the deer, and that makes it slightly less likely to make serious contact, and avoiding the deer strike is easier due to the nimble nature of the car. For those reasons alone you're actually better off in a smart!

[bmx43]

Originally Posted by sisyphus

But remember, the smart is a much narrower than the usual car

not really. it's not that much narrower, shorter yes.

[flywithsean]

A Dear as in someone you love??

Or a Deer as in Bambi?

Here is a video of a smart hitting a concrete wall at 70mph. This should help answer your question.

YouTube - Smart Car Crash Test

[centerxtreme]

I'd rather contend with the deer

[MicroNut]

Originally Posted by bmx43

that would suck. that's what i think. however, it would suck more on a motorcycle.

The smart only got two stars in the Euro NCAP pedestrian protection test, so I think it would suck more for the deer.

[tiny smart]

Lets be realistic here. If you hit a deer head on at 60 mph there would probably be 3 casualties. 1. The car would be a total loss. 2. The deer would be dead. 3. You and your passenger would probably be injured or killed.