to be clear: *feeling* safe is an emotional state of mind and has little or no correlation to the relative safety of one vehicle over another. there are those that would feel unsafe in a tractor trailer unit. that does not mean that their safety has been compromised.
when someone says "i don't feel safe in that car" they are making a statement about themselves, not the car. we should not need to defend the safety aspects or engineering of the car in this instance unless it is to provide reassurances to the person's fears.
safety is a funny concept overall. because of the confusion of emotions and how one "feels" with design criteria or provisions or features.
we even build the concept of safety into our lives, into our marketing and into our purchasing criteria in an attempt to deny the emotional aspects of safety - or perhaps it is just to placate them.
from an objective engineering point of view, the smart is remarkably no more or less prone to structural or component failures than most other vehicles. but i don't think enough emphasis in this country at least is put upon how large and significant a role the driver plays in their overall safety. one need only watch the risky behavior on any american road to understand that most drivers are blissfully unaware how significant their actions affect their overall safety. we seem to be of a mind that by purchasing a bulletproof vest (our vehicle), getting shot won't hurt or be a bother. when we should be thinking about not getting shot at all. (like my euphamism?
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