I think it would make good use of the other guy's crumple zone.

 

The Sky is Falling...

 

admin can we combine these NHTSA somehow...we have 8 people posting the exact same thing as is already in a forum

 

Lol, you said you were canceling your reservation, why the need to keep up these types of posts?

Important to factor in as well is the fact that the Smart keeps you so involved while driving so we are perhaps more likely then others to be paying attention to what's going on to help avoid accidents in the first place, and then there is the fact that at 5 feet wide we are a much smaller target then most

 

smartazz, I didnt know this was a members only site...my assumption was that it was an enthusiast site, in which case I do still like the cars even though I am not planning on purchasing one soon. I never had a reservation for one, so I never cancelled nor ever mentioned anything about having a reservation to begin with. All of this btw has nothing to do with the topic at hand or the question I was asking the admin

 

I don't think that was aimed at you...

mike700 posted that he was cancelling because of how 'unsafe' this little car was... and he keeps making topics. I've got the idea that he's just a...

TROLL

-Dan

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSL048250820080404

Smart car aces U.S. crash test despite door opening
Fri Apr 4, 2008 6:23am EDT

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Daimler AG's new Smart minicar got top marks for handling side crashes in a U.S. government crash test even though the driver's-side door opened during the simulation, the U.S. agency said.

The German automaker put the two-door Smart ForTwo model on sale in the United States this year, eager to tap demand for fuel-efficient cars at a time of near-record prices at the pump.

On its website, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that the driver's door unlatched and opened during a side-impact crash test of the model.

"A door opening during a side impact crash increases the likelihood of occupant ejection," it noted.

Still, the Smart car got five out of five stars for its ability to protect occupants during side crashes. It won four stars for sheltering drivers and three stars for passengers during head-on crashes.

Penske Automotive Group, which is distributing the car in North America, has said it expects to sell up to 25,000 two-seat Smart cars in the United States this year.

Daimler was not immediately available for comment on Friday.
(Reporting by Michael Shields)

 

Puzzled

I've watched the NHTSA video of the side impact test over and over, and I'm not seeing where the door came open. The video shows the entire collision, up to the point where both the sled and the smart are stationary, and the driver's door appears to remain completely closed at all times.

It may have come unlatched - it's not possible to tell from the video - but the statement that it "unlatched and opened" seems misleading based on the footage. Do they mean "unlatched and therefore could have opened"?

The car is spun clockwise after the impact, which would tend to make the driver's door fly open if it were unlatched. And yet the video shows no such thing. Just saying something seems a bit off to me...

 

had the potential to open as I understand it, which is why it was a warning and not a deduction in the score.

 

Just to be safe

Perhaps we should All drive retired diesel city busses. LOL

never saw the door open as well curious as to what dropped the passanger score on the frontal as well.
karl

 

Check out 450 head on video ....



from a year ago where they drove the smartie head on into the concrete barracade at 70mph with dummies ofcourse.

Ofcourse it smashed the hell out of the front end but both the doors could still be opened and the passenger side worked as normal. The passenger compartment took little compression really. Naturally the dummies died due to the excessive G forces of such an event....

Just thought you'd like to know....

John

 

When it comes to safety the biggest component is the driver and the second is luck. If you are paying attention and driving defensively you have less chance of getting into an accident. Freak accidents occur and that is where luck comes into play, if its your time, its your time.

Also, most head on collisions I've seen have been at higher than a net 40 MPH. They are more like 2 cars on the interstate or back road doing 55 + MPH, so you'd be just as dead in an H2 as a smart. Not that I have any statistics at the ready on this, just my observation...

I'm not losing any sleep over this...

 

It bounces off and goes tumbling down the road in the opposite direction of course...

I'm getting the optional "Demolition Man" foam safety system installed to cushion me from everything in the event of a crash.