It's Official: SUV owners survive crashes 50% better

[mrplunkey]

i dont wanna make that claim because BMW is a luxury brand that probably has way better safety features. But if you replace BMW 5-Series with Toyota Camry then I'll say yea. It's important for the two cars being compared to have similar safety features, just different weights

I intentionally picked cars that are #2-#3 in their respective categories.

So are you trying to argue that safest car in the "Small" car category will fare better against a concrete embankment than the safest car in the "Large" or "Very Large" category?

That's a pretty unsupportable position.

 

[nimbus]

I intentionally picked cars that are #2-#3 in their respective categories.

So are you trying to argue that safest car in the "Small" car category will fare better against a concrete embankment than the safest car in the "Large" or "Very Large" category?

That's a pretty unsupportable position.

if a concrete embankment is for the most part indestructible by car crashes, kinda like a sturdy tree, i think it will

 

[mrplunkey]

if a concrete embankment is for the most part indestructible by car crashes, kinda like a sturdy tree, i think it will

I'd want to see anything resembling proof of that. If that were the case, they wouldn't need to stratify cars into various size classes -- or you suggesting the stratification occurs because large cars can't compete in crash tests with smaller ones?

Again... I'd want to see *anything* to support that. The green freaks would be spamming that on the news 24/7 if small cars were safer in any test setting.

 

[PICK3]

Weight Class - Statistics show that if two vehicles with the same NHTSA full frontal rating crash into each other head on, but one vehicle weighs twice as much as the other, the occupants of the lighter one (2000 lbs / 909 kgs) are eight times more likely to be killed than the occupants of the heavier vehicle (4000 lbs / 1818 kgs). However, vehicle weight offers no safety advantage or disadvantage in single-vehicle crashes.


Crashtest.com - Vehicle Weight Class

 

[Mr. dB]

if a concrete embankment is for the most part indestructible by car crashes, kinda like a sturdy tree, i think it will

Seems to me that in a crash with an immovable object, the larger vehicle will bring more mass into the equation, which means more energy is dissipated when it comes to a sudden halt.

On the other hand, there could be more mass between the obstacle and the passenger compartment in the larger vehicle. Or not. Ultimately the strength of the passenger cage is not directly related to size or mass.

A small vehicle with a good crash rating is, for all intents and purposes, "safe enough". Buying a large vehicle solely for its perceived safety advantage is stupid, because no matter how big your car is, there's something out there that's bigger. A semi truck will crush a Hummer just as thoroughly as it'll crush a Ford Fiesta.

 

[nimbus]

I'd want to see anything resembling proof of that. If that were the case, they wouldn't need to stratify cars into various size classes -- or you suggesting the stratification occurs because large cars can't compete in crash tests with smaller ones?

Again... I'd want to see *anything* to support that. The green freaks would be spamming that on the news 24/7 if small cars were safer in any test setting.

most collisions aren't single-vehicle collisions with immovable/indestructible objects. you are taking a result i claimed for a specific case, and trying to prove me wrong by applying it to all crashes. meh

 

[mrplunkey]

most collisions aren't single-vehicle collisions with immovable/indestructible objects. you are taking a result i claimed for a specific case, and trying to prove me wrong by applying it to all crashes. meh

But larger vehicles are most likely safer for single-vehicle crashes and absolutely most definitely safer for vehicle-on-vehicle crashes.

This concept seems like a slam dunk. Drive a heaver car if you can tolerate the cost of gas.

 

[nimbus]

Buying a large vehicle solely for its perceived safety advantage is stupid, because no matter how big your car is, there's something out there that's bigger.

I totally disagree with you on this. Large vehicles are almost always safer for the individual who purchases them. Something is always bigger, but the heavier your car is, the lower the percentage of larger vehicles becomes.

 

[PICK3]

However, vehicle weight offers no safety advantage or disadvantage in single-vehicle crashes.


Crashtest.com - Vehicle Weight Class

^^^
did anyone see this

 

[mrplunkey]

Seems to me that in a crash with an immovable object, the larger vehicle will bring more mass into the equation, which means more energy is dissipated when it comes to a sudden halt.

On the other hand, there could be more mass between the obstacle and the passenger compartment in the larger vehicle. Or not. Ultimately the strength of the passenger cage is not directly related to size or mass.

A small vehicle with a good crash rating is, for all intents and purposes, "safe enough". Buying a large vehicle solely for its perceived safety advantage is stupid, because no matter how big your car is, there's something out there that's bigger. A semi truck will crush a Hummer just as thoroughly as it'll crush a Ford Fiesta.

And if you drive a prius there are a ton of vehicles that are bigger whereas if you drive a large SUV there are some vehicles that are bigger.

It's a math thing.