Humvee aint so tough

[blackbeagle]

Would I be safer in a Hummer or Smart? Well that depends on the circumstances. In a head on crash.......Hummer. THat's a no brainer. However, if you look at the statistics, you will realize that more people have died due to rollovers in SUVs compared to those deaths from small cars hitting big cars head on. It's not even close.

[dbwill]

Originally Posted by saskdiesel

As a forensic (Police) photographer/investigator who has been to many, many fatal MVA's and the subsequent autopsies I have this to say.
A bigger vehicle is safer, without a doubt. No contest.
Now, with smaller vehicles and the Smart in particular, you can die just as easy and the amount of damage on the vehicle does not necessarily mean minor injuries.
The intrusion into the vehicle seems to be the way an on-looker may access the severity of the collision. However the amount of force on deceleration suffered by the occupants is the killer.
I have seem far to many dead people who appear otherwise intact except for torn aorta's, hearts and lungs.
Its quite sad really. Especially when the vehicle seems to have only a minor intrusion or nothing at all.

Spot on!!

[saskdiesel]

Originally Posted by blackbeagle

Would I be safer in a Hummer or Smart? Well that depends on the circumstances. In a head on crash.......Hummer. THat's a no brainer. However, if you look at the statistics, you will realize that more people have died due to rollovers in SUVs compared to those deaths from small cars hitting big cars head on. It's not even close.

I would say this is false.
Statistics (where I live anyway) show about 140 people died in fatal MVA's in my zone.
Of those, 29 were rollovers and nearly all were unbelted occupants.
Of the 29 rollovers cars and trucks were about 50/50.
I would say you are still safer in a large vehicle belted in than a smaller vehicle belted in.
Without a seat belt its about 50/50 of you surviving a serious MVA.
From my experience anyway.

[Dunerunner]

Originally Posted by the_dude

it's an h2, but otherwise, yeah...

Yea, you're right!! Just hard to tell since it's 4' shorter than usual!!

[PeteInLongBeach]

OK, saskdiesel has convinced me. I'm dumping the smart and replacing it with an Escalade. Can't be too careful, ya know....

[pabille]

Originally Posted by PeteInLongBeach

OK, saskdiesel has convinced me. I'm dumping the smart and replacing it with an Escalade. Can't be too careful, ya know....

I'm gettin' a school bus!

[jediknight36]

Originally Posted by pabille

I'm gettin' a school bus!

You will never want to drive anything else! Safest vehicle on the road. Studies have proven it. Its only natural predator is the freight train!

[sksmn14]

Humvee is the name used for the military version hummer, which is based off of the H1. Much safer vehicle than an H2 or H3. An real Humvee rear ending a bus would look much different.

[Krodista]

I am going to get a train...figure out how to put rubber tires on it and then I will win! Highway Arms Race...here I come!

[LDGsmart]

Originally Posted by saskdiesel

As a forensic (Police) photographer/investigator who has been to many, many fatal MVA's and the subsequent autopsies I have this to say.
A bigger vehicle is safer, without a doubt. No contest.

BS

Safer how?

Stopping distance on a Smart from 70mph, 167 feet; H2, 200 feet (Car & Driver).

Backing up over small children? Pints of blood for oil? Target cross section?

How about as a starter vehicle for teenagers? The more passengers a a teen driver has, the more likely the drive is to do something stupid. (google "teen driver passengers and accidents and CDC")

How about the golden rule - "do unto others" - how much more likely is a SUV driver going to kill someone else than Smart driver?

Define safe.