Smart Car fatality...

SmartPotato · 08-20-2009, 03:41 PM

A gentleman in Charlotte lost his life in a Smart July 29th. This is the first one I have heard about. Very sad. I don't know more than what's in the article.

Smart car driver killed in Union County - WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC-

The national average is 2 vehicles per 10,000. With over 25,000 Smarts out there our Smarts are beating the odds.

Neonspinnazz · 08-20-2009, 03:47 PM

This was recently posted somewhere else with 2 other fatal crashes (we were bashin' a troll)

Sad but the smart's opponent was a speeding minivan and its occupants were badly injured

The smart just had to run a stop sign

HGB · 08-20-2009, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neonspinnazz

This was recently posted somewhere else with 2 other fatal crashes (we were bashin' a troll)

Sad but the smart's opponent was a speeding minivan and its occupants were badly injured

The smart just had to run a stop sign

This was just mentioned in USA Today by a blogger, where many are bashing the smart in an article that exemplifies its strong roof.

Old smart · 08-20-2009, 04:25 PM

Before this thread goes too far, this Moderator will submit that which Thoreau wrote in Walden, or, Life in the Woods:

"If we read of one man robbed, or murdered, or killed by accident, or one house burned, or one vessel wrecked, or one steamboat blown up, or one cow run over on the Western Railroad, or one mad dog killed, or one lot of grasshoppers in the winter -- we never need read of another. One is enough. If you are acquainted with the principle, what do you care for a myriad instances and applications?"

DBF

RunnerDan · 08-20-2009, 05:40 PM

Not to be disrespectful but a death most likely would have occurred if it was a Yaris, Aveo, or even my car an Escort. The man did run a stop sign, which the mini van (having the right of way) suddenly struck the car.

Still very sad, if only people were more cautious on the road

sandalscout · 08-20-2009, 06:02 PM

Very sad indeed, but as stated, likely in any number of vehicles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmartPotato

The national average is 2 vehicles per 10,000. With over 25,000 Smarts out there our Smarts are beating the odds.

Is it 2 deaths per 10,000 accidents, or two deaths per every 10,000 sold? If it's 2 deaths per 10,000 accidents, it appears that the smart is probably above the average, unfortunately. I would say that the figures are too premature to make a judgement though, so I probably shouldn't even try to comment.

SuperGeek · 08-20-2009, 06:15 PM

It's definitely sad that he was killed. I should point out something nobody else has yet - the driver of the smart was 81 years old. Most 81 year old Americans have slower reflexes- even slightly - which could have caused him to miss seeing the stop sign. That said, I don't know his health before the crash. But looking at the picture, the smart took a heck of a beating, and I would be absolutely amazed if any octogenarian survived a crash that serious, in any vehicle - the impact was on the passenger side, no airbag to cushion the driver's first movement.

I don't think the minivan was going very slowly, either. That intersection looks like a very well-known fatal intersection where my wife grew up - speeds in the rural areas can be officially 60mph and that's if the minivan driver wasn't speeding. In this case from Google's Street View you can see the speed limit is 45mph with not a whole lot of visibility at the intersection.

Google Maps

This story, while very sad, does not compromise my confidence in smart's safety. If the T-bone impact was at 50+mph, I'm impressed the car didn't completely disintegrate. Also, the forces transmitted would do serious injury to anyone.

donnyonee · 08-20-2009, 06:22 PM

itd be a tough call but 81 is too old for a drivers license, imo.

Godfather · 08-20-2009, 06:26 PM

I submit that this thread, and all others offering forth pictures of a fatal wreck, be closed, out of respect for the dead, and the obvious copywrite infringement. How do you suppose the victim's family feels?

SuperGeek · 08-20-2009, 06:34 PM

This is where I get into trouble... I'm here to discuss the car. Someone dies in the car and the human side of the equation doesn't allow anyone to discuss it out of respect. Even with respect, I don't know if I'm allowed to comment on such things for fear of appearing inhuman and disrespectful. Same thing happens in person, in fact. So, I'll respect whatever rules the mods clarify. It's not that I don't care, it's that I don't know how to deal with the emotion of the situation. That's just the way my mind's worked for decades. It may be simple to others, but for me it's a complex internal debate.