While I know that it’d still hurt the driver, I’d still like to see them do that video. Using the dummies, they could see how much force is actually going to the occupants of said land barge.
Docnick: It was a Renault Modus, shown on Fifth Gear
Here it is:
Some good points here. A lot of comments are made about the Smart Car being a death trap. Turns out that is more emotion than science. It is bed time, or I’d dig it up, but their death rate is lower than most cars. It has to do with the design of the passenger compartment. They did design it with wrecks in mind, and wrecks with bigger cars often results in more injuries in the bigger car. The front crumbles and the compartment holds its form.
I was amazed to hear people drive those things long distances on the highway, but I guess we did the same thing in the Old Beetles.
Hence my post about seeing them crash a new Malibu(or Town Car since that’d be a comparable sized vehicle) into a 69~70 Imperial. If for nothing else to see what the test dummy’s results would be in the Imperial.
Thanks bscar, you’re right; it was quite dramatic.
Maybe in a head on collision, but what about being t-boned by soccer mom in her Explorer?
I think that one of the issues with a Smart Car colliding with a bigger vehicle (namely, everything else on the road) is how far the Smart Car would be thrown by the impact with the other vehicle.
Last year, my friend’s Accord was t-boned by a crazy woman in an SUV, and we were pushed/spun about 25 feet, dangerously close to the 18-wheelers that were roaring past in the left lane. While I can’t prove my belief, I believe that a Smart Car in the same collision would have become airborne and could have landed right in the path of those 18-wheelers. The best passenger protection cell in the world would not make a difference in a situation like that.
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1009578
I knew that article was around here somewhere
I wonder what a side impact collision comparison between a car with unibody construction and a car with th X-frame without side rails frame would show back in the late 1950’s time period? The American Motors products were all unibody, but I don’t believe that any other domestic cars were. I think Chrysler products except for the Imperial may have switched to unibody in 1960. I remember reading about crash test results comparing a 1956 Rambler (unibody) and a 1956 Pontiac in either Mechanix Illustrated or Science and Mechanics, but I don’t remember a side impact test and the 1956 Pontiac did not have the X frame.
DO NOT FORGET that while these cars may be safe when they hit brick walls, they can be thrown around (speaking of the smart car) and sustain more damage than just bashing into something. While the old cars were unforgiving, they also moved things (object in motion tends to stay in motion) so smart car vs 59 fury… the fury might just push the smart car out of the way, not slowing down and transferring enerygy form the crash to the people inside. Just like in simi vs suv, all the suv people are killed and the truck driver usualy gets away pretty easy.
I have seen a 57 Ford with “Lifeguard” design,padded dash and I dont know what else it had-Kevin