T the Time the Pick up was Folding like this the Mini was the Small car in the states. So they were the ones defending their safety just like we are now.
Regardless......I still like my chances BETTER in my smart than the Toyota Corolla I had.
Well, the Corolla is a relatively small car too, although not as small as a smart. I think size matters, but I don't think size is the ONLY thing that matters. Crumple zones and the ability to absorb impact force WITHOUT transmitting that force to the occupants is really the most important thing in my opinion. I always get a chuckle from the old timers who look down on today's cars because they sustain so much damage from any decent collision. I always tell them that they are supposed to get damaged like that to allow the occupants to walk away unharmed. I'd rather be in a 2009 Corolla than in a 1963 Lincoln if I smashed into a wall at 50 mph. The Corolla would be damaged beyond repair for sure, and the Lincoln might not be, but at least I'd have a better chance of walking away from the accident in the Corolla.
So using this logic, is the safety cell of the smart really such a great idea? Such a little car can't possible absorb much impact force in the small area between the headlights and the firewall area. And what about the rear? There seems to be no crumple zone whatsoever in that area? Have there been crash tests for smarts that were rear-ended?
Well, the Corolla is a relatively small car too, although not as small as a smart. I think size matters, but I don't think size is the ONLY thing that matters. Crumple zones and the ability to absorb impact force WITHOUT transmitting that force to the occupants is really the most important thing in my opinion. I always get a chuckle from the old timers who look down on today's cars because they sustain so much damage from any decent collision. I always tell them that they are supposed to get damaged like that to allow the occupants to walk away unharmed. I'd rather be in a 2009 Corolla than in a 1963 Lincoln if I smashed into a wall at 50 mph. The Corolla would be damaged beyond repair for sure, and the Lincoln might not be, but at least I'd have a better chance of walking away from the accident in the Corolla.
So using this logic, is the safety cell of the smart really such a great idea? Such a little car can't possible absorb much impact force in the small area between the headlights and the firewall area. And what about the rear? There seems to be no crumple zone whatsoever in that area? Have there been crash tests for smarts that were rear-ended?
You have to remember that the smart engineers had to take a different angle on safety. If you don't have massive real estate for crumple zones, you have to incorporate different structures to absorb impact. The Tridion is a big part of the equation, but they also use the the wheels/tires/suspension for side impacts and the engine itself is designed to be shoved under the cargo compartment absorbing energy along the way if hit from the rear, etc.
Yes, the smart was rear end tested. I remember seeing a picture around US launch time of one hit in the rear at 45 mph. It did well since the bumper/engine took the brunt of the impact force.
The smart also has standard active safety features across the model line that help you survive an accident by avoiding it, unlike other small cars that usually skimp on ESP, EBD, ABS, etc., or only make it available in the top-of-the-line models.
Anyone can die in any vehicle in the right circumstances, and they will, but I don't believe the smart is any less safe than any other small car and better than many.
Althought the samrt is small, it has a lot of interior room designed not so much for comfort, but designed to allow the pasenger to decelerate in more space.
If you want real world stories about how the smart holds up in crashes go to www.safeandsmart.com
Plenty of folks telling their stories from all kinds of accidents.
Althought the samrt is small, it has a lot of interior room designed not so much for comfort, but designed to allow the pasenger to decelerate in more space.
Well, I'm still not convinced. The safety cell certainly seems like it is necessary in a car of such diminutive size (in the absence of normal size crumple zones), but I'd still rather be in my midsize SUV (4700 lb curb weight) if I were involved in a collision with the average vehicle found on U.S. roads.
Now if I were in Europe, I might feel differently because the roads seem to be filled with much smaller vehicles overall and driving a smart wouldn't be so far away from a level playing field. Physics still rule in my mind and I'd rather not be the lightest thing on four wheels even if I'm in a "safety cell"
Well, I'm still not convinced. The safety cell certainly seems like it is necessary in a car of such diminutive size (in the absence of normal size crumple zones), but I'd still rather be in my midsize SUV (4700 lb curb weight) if I were involved in a collision with the average vehicle found on U.S. roads.
I'm sure the Hummer driver below would 'rather' be in the school bus. I'm sure a Harley rider would 'rather' be driving a car IF he were in an accident. I'm sure the truck driver slammed at a railroad crossing would 'rather' be in the train. I'd 'rather' take the elevator IF I knew I would fall down the stairs. IF a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his butt on the ground. Statistically more people will die of heart disease and many other factors before they die in a small car, but I don't see anyone picketing McDonald's. Life is full of risk and we each have our own tolerance for it. Most of us don't go around thinking "I might get hit by a car IF I ride my bike or go for a walk" and never ride a bike or go for a walk. Enjoy your 4700lb vanilla-saurus and steer clear of school buses. I'm out of troll food. Sorry BB.
The safety cell is only part of it. Collapsible steering wheel, reinforced seats, side air bags, softer plastic instead of metal, dual stage air bags with weight detection. If you hit the same SUV at the same speed in two different cars (even compared to an SUV), the Smart is still extremely safe. It's designed to move force around the passenger compartment, where the SUV is designed to absorb it into the engine compartment. The difference is that if the force exceeds design tolerances, the SUV's engine or nearby parts will push back into the driver compartment, but everything in the Smart is angled around the passenger cell - redirecting the force rather than absorbing it. I would expect that means the Smart is more able to exceed its design specs.
I've never once seen a Smart's safety cell deform more than a few inches, and then it was a collision of 70+mph (reported here, by the driver who was extremely impressed with the light injuries). I've seen countless SUV rollovers and heard of cabins being crushed. My nephew is one case - his truck's cab crushed in a rollover and he missed being killed by mere inches. He had to swerve, the heavy truck couldn't maneuver fast enough, and he flipped three times. Like most truck/SUV owners, he thought his full size truck was safe because of its mass, but it was that mass that ended up crushing the cabin.
Designs need to be re-evaluated, and I believe the Smart will wake up manufacturers to incorporate further safety approaches into their designs. The multi-part safety cell, collapsible/deformable interior, and direction of engine to UNDER the passenger cabin - all of these are great thinking.
Think of this other situation - which works better to drop a probe onto the surface of Mars - large crumple zones or air bags? Air bags worked pretty well last time because they transmitted the force from the point of impact all the way around the package.
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