My response:
lol to the guy who posted the google images search for smart car crash. half the cars in there are not actually smarts, and the ones that are all held up pretty well in the accidents. you can tell a smart because of the 3 wheel nuts. the ones that look anhilated in those pics have 4 or 5.
Smarts are actually very safe--they have great ratings in IIHS and safercars.gov tests. On top of that at the moment it is the only car in its price range that has ESP, which Mercedes says helps prevent 30% of accidents. In 2010, however, there may be more models available with that feature, as I hear it is becoming mandated soon. If you are OK with only having two people in the car, the smart is extremely practible, is efficient, fun to drive, and an all-around good car. My recommendation--do some research on different cars you might like and then test drive them all.
Source(s):
iihs.org, safercars.gov, snopes.com, safeandsmart.com, smartcarofamerica.com, images.google.com