Bigger cars are safer - report
2009-04-15 15:01
The US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) latest tests show that small cars generally don't offer the same protection as heavier models in car crashes.
The safety agency recently simulated three head-on collisions including a small car and a mid-sized model from the same manufacturer.
In the tests, said to be about the "physics of car crashes" that indicate smaller cars generally can't protect people as well in car crashes, it was found that a larger vehicle size and weight enhanced occupant safety.
The cars tested were the Honda Fit (Jazz in South Africa) and Accord, Toyota Yaris and Camry, and Smart ForTwo and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Good frontal crash scores
According to the safety agency, these cars were chosen because they all earned good ratings for frontal crashworthiness based on the IIHS's offset test into a deformable barrier.
It was found that while the smaller cars performed well in the IIHS's barrier test, all three performed poorly in the frontal collisions with the larger cars.
In the Honda test, the structure of the Accord remained sound with the dummy sustaining limited injuries to its head, neck and chest. The Fit dummy, though, showed a high risk of leg injury, its head struck the steering wheel through the airbag and intrusion into the occupant cell was "extensive".
In the Toyota test, while the driver seat in both cars tipped forward, the Yaris' steering wheel moved excessively, the Institute stated. The heads of both dummies hit the steering wheel, but only the Yaris "occupant" recorded a head injury measure. In addition, there was extensive force on the neck and right leg.
In the test involving the Mercedes-Benz and Smart, the Smart went airborne during the collision. There was extensive intrusion into the space around the dummy and the instrument panel and steering column of the ForTwo were displaced upward. It was found that the dummy had a high risk of head and led injuries.
"Safety trade-offs"
"There are good reasons people buy minicars," said Institute president Adrian Lund. "They're more affordable, and they use less gas. But the safety trade-offs are clear from our new tests.
"Though much safer than they were a few years ago, minicars as a group do a comparatively poor job of protecting people in crashes, simply because they're smaller and lighter.
"In collisions with bigger vehicles, the forces acting on the smaller ones are higher, and there's less distance from the front of a small car to the occupant compartment to 'ride down' the impact. These and other factors increase injury likelihood."
