The crash testing we are familiar with involve crush zones, and so on, at speeds of 40 MPH or less.
What is the path of the engine block, when/if it exits from the force of impact?
How well do the crush zones protect the cabin area?

But modern cars travel at far higher speeds. They are capable of far exceeding the speed limits of even the fastest highways. What happens when a compact car is -"COMPACTED" at the maximum speed it is built to go?

Watch and see

 

As an insurance investigator, I just chuckle at some of the videos I have watched for GOOBERMENT test. Investigate a headon at 60 mph each. Usually there is no survivors and you can only identify the vehicle by what is left of their ass. Yeah that impact is 120 mph. When speed go up, say to 80, nothing is left, especially when a smart car hits a 250 or bigger. It will replace the engine block in the 250, driving the block through and hopefully as designed, down through the cabin. There will be no survivors in the smart car, maybe some in the 250, but they will be messed up for life. I cannot remember the g-force, but it is up there and seat belts and airbags cannot stop that kind of force, only cripple the the wearers. I watched in tears one night at a scene while first responders cut two teenagers out of a Caprice that hit a Tractor trailer head on. The front of the car was in the back seat. the Tractor driver was killed as the ass of the Caprice came up and through the windshield of a long nose Pete. It took 14 hours to cut them all out.

I will say this. To hell with the unibody cars. If I am in a crash, I want a full length frame like under my Vic. At least I may have a sporting chance of being carried away alive!

 

i agree Paul. these unibody cars are garbage. i will take a 60 pontiac catalina or ventura over one of these sardine cans any day.

 

one thing they did not tell the general public about that 59 bel air/ 09 malibu test is that the 59 bel air was a total rust bucket that was not even road worthy. it was crashed in that test because it would not pass a safety inspection due to excessive body rust that made it structurally unsafe

 

Yeah whatever - in a nutshell if you drive stupid you die.

The big problem is what you do if OTHER people drive stupid...


All the way back in Drivers Ed in High School - they taught us to look as far ahead as we could, to see not only road hazards but stupid drivers.

All I can tell you is to keep an eye all around you...

Myagi's advice is still good:
"NO BE THERE"

Your best defence is to foresee bad situations and avoid them. Look far ahead, and anticipate trouble

I never listen to the radio on the road or CD's, and I definitely never answer a cell phone, I listen to the engine and tires. Those who divorce themselves from driving are the most likely to wreck

To me - driving is the only thing I ought to be doing, and I want to do that well

NO DISTRACTIONS


I love what the car is

I remember my mother telling me that once you get over learning to drive - it isn't magical anymore. It's just something you have to do. But I don't agree with that anymore...

I think that when driving isn't any fun anymore - you have lost the essence of it. When that happens you have to re-discover it in some way, and that is what I have done with my small cars, rediscover the essence.

~It's as close as you can come to racing without being a national or international licensed racer


Yeah - the cockpit noise is loud. But I love it!


"OH LOOK- A BUTTERFLY!!!"
***SSSNNNIKKKERRREZZZ***

 

Does that take into account that people drive less because of rising fuel prices?

I expect they a lot less people going on road trips these days because the cost of gas is tremendous

~And that has to impact the statistics

MORE MILES? I don't think so.

Private cars running are fewer, because it costs too much.

I think that a lot of those stats have to do with people driving less than they used to do

 

i wish i could find the report i read back when they did that test Ken.
it had that "it was a clean low mileage rust free" statement in it, then it also went on to say that that was a lie to mislead the general public.

who knows which one was true, but my gut feeling has always been to not believe media when they say one thing and then someone who has nothing to gain by trying to prove the media wrong.

 

not denying this either.
but it is making for a dumbing down of drivers. because they are "driving safer cars" they no longer have to pay attention to driving.

 

Greywolf said it here, I am not liking to drive near what I used to, due to the idiots out there

 

When I was working, I was averaging 50K a year, now that I have retired, instead of having the oil changed sometimes twice a month, I now go 4 sometime 5 months. I think I put 4K on Vickie last year. What a change. Tires now expire instead of being worn out. Yes, I just replaced a set. Had them 18 months, they were halfway worn. LOL The shop thought I was crazy. He put my tires on his car. Oh well, hope he makes them wires. I put my safety first.

But Ken is right. Vehicle safety has greatly improved, it is the dumbasses out there that have gotten more careless. To many distractions. I do listen to my stereo loud, I love Southern rock. Nothing like a good jam and play with the traffic. And yes, I am still a fast driver. I am not happy unless I am rolling about 85 on the interstate. That big land crusier I have loves it too. People tell me that it uses gas. Really, a 2 ton car, travel 360 miles on 17 gallons of gas. Not to shabby when the average speed on the trip was 76 mph. You can have your econo boxes, I will stick with my full frame vehicle.

 

i had a guy tell me there was no way my crown vic could get 31 MPG.
so the next time i went to delaware i invited him to go for the ride. fueled up with him in the car before leaving, and fueled up when we got back before dropping him off.
he still said there was no way possible that a "big gas guzzler" could get 32 MPG as he hand calculated the MPG.
the secret is setting the cruise control on 60, and no fast starts off the toll booths.