Recent Crash Test Video Footage on TV -- Rebuttal?

[BobDiaz]

The 0.0045% chance (1 out of 22,222) is for all Mini Cars combined and many of those Mini Cars lack the Smart's additional safety features.

As for the very large cars, as best as I can read the chart, it's 0.0025% (1 out of 40,000).

This brings up a real problem with real world numbers. Because the odds of getting killed in a Smart Car are very small, there aren't enough Smart Cars out there to really depend on any numbers. I know the number is > 25,000 (USA), but because of the random nature of accidents, the number killed is just too small to be 100% sure if the result is too high or too low and right now, I can't find anyone killed.

In searching the internet, I'm having trouble finding a link to any news story of anyone killed in their Smart Car in the USA. Anyone who wants to call the Smart Car a, "Death Trap", should try to find 10 links to 10 different stories of people killed in the USA in Smart Cars. GOOD LUCK!!!!

If the Smart Car was a high risk car, such a search should be easy, but I sure don't have any luck finding anything.


Bob Diaz

[rfernatt]

Somebody stop me, I can't help myself....

I don't know about the source or how current the numbers are (Funny2), but interesting if true. Here are some applicable ones:

Chance of dying from heart disease: 1 in 3
Chance of having a stroke: 1 in 6
Chance of dying from any kind of injury during the next year: 1 in 1,820
Odds of fatally slipping in bath or shower: 2,232 to 1
Chance of dying from intentional self-harm: 1 in 9,380
Chance of dying from an assault: 1 in 16,421
Odds of being murdered: 18,000 to 1
Chance of dying from a car accident: 1 in 18,585
Chance of dying from any kind of fall: 1 in 20,666 **

I think the safest thing to do is ban baths and showers, they are 8 times more dangerous then motor vehicle accidents! We'll all smell bad, but at least we're safe!

**I told you those banana peels were bad news!

[JPaul]

Aren't we running around in circle here? Did I see the same arguments elsewhere?
Nah! It's just a bad dream...

[forestacademy]

CHance I will die someday 1 in 1

[rfernatt]

Here's the best, reading-between-the-lines report I've seen so far on the IIHS tests:

Smart Fortwo Car vs. Mercedes C-Class - Are Subcompact Cars Safe? Auto Analysis - Popular Mechanics

[forestacademy]

Nice Find. I don't need to read between the lines on this one.
Thanks Popular Mechanics.

"If we were going to hit another car, we'd want a Peterbuilt, but if we slid off-road into an immovable object, the minicar starts to look pretty good"

"We had another researcher tell us that our risks of dying in a car would fall dramatically if we did three things: Wear a seatbelt, never drink and drive, and stay off the roads after 10 PM. Notice, there's no mention about driving a certain type of car."

"In its report, the Institute suggests another way to reduce fuel use: Lower the speed limit. Yes, that's right, it's calling for the return of the 55-mph speed limit."

"Also, it helps to remember who benefits from lower speed limits, namely the insurance companies and government organizations that write speeding tickets. The old 55-mph speed limit was one of the most widely broken laws ever enacted, and bringing it back would mean more speeding tickets, and therefore insurance surcharges, for all of us. Sound too much like a conspiracy theory?"

[jdlynch99]

Originally Posted by rfernatt

Here's the best, reading-between-the-lines report I've seen so far on the IIHS tests:

Smart Fortwo Car vs. Mercedes C-Class - Are Subcompact Cars Safe? Auto Analysis - Popular Mechanics

Did ya notice the link on that page for Jay Leno picks the future collectibles?

He mentions the Smart in the last paragraph on page two.

Jay Leno Predicts Future Collectible Cars - Jay Leno's Garage 10th Anniversary - Popular Mechanics

[vwW12]

Originally Posted by BobDiaz

Yes, one can make a case that the smaller car does not do as well in a Head-on collision. That comes to 2.0% of all US crashes and 10.1% of all fatal crashes, BUT if you purchased an SUV, because you want to be "safer" in a head-on crash, the SUVs have a much higher risk of rollover and many SUVs lack the roof support to stand a rollover crash. The end result is that if your are in a rollover, which is 2.3% of all US crashes, it's 10.9% of US fatal crashes.

On the other hand, the Smart Car has proven itself to hold up very well to, Angle or side impacts, Run-off-road collisions, and Rollovers. As for the other types of crashes, I can't find any data online to back up any thing either way.

Another factor to consider is the degree of risk, more people are going to die from cancer or a heart attack this year, than from a car crash.

Good analysis. Thanks.

[vwW12]

Originally Posted by BobDiaz

In searching the internet, I'm having trouble finding a link to any news story of anyone killed in their Smart Car in the USA.

Here you go.

[jwight]

Well, it was a fatality and it was in a smart. Other than that, no details, so pretty hard to say if the design of the smart played a role. And the Honda Civic driver bought the farm also. Need more info.