Alarming Crash Test Results for Small Cars
The results of these tests were alarming and have generated a significant amount of press coverage. The Detroit News reports:The smallest cars on the road are at a high risk for damage and personal injury in frontal crashes with midsize sedans, a study released today finds. And, the death rate in one- to three-year-old minicars — vehicles most automakers are building or considering bringing to market — was almost twice as high as the rate in very large cars in multiple vehicle crashes, according to the report from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an industry-funded group that prods automakers to improve the safety of vehicles.
The high injury rate is simply a result of physics. Forbes.com explains this concept:
Size is important because mass, coupled with acceleration, determines the force of a crash. Injuries depend on the forces that act on the occupants in the car, not on how much external damage the car sustains. The force of a crash turns on two key attributes: the weight of the crashing vehicle, which determines how much speed must be absorbed during the impact, and the size of the vehicle, which often determines how close the front of the vehicle is to the driver–an essential indicator of the extent of injuries to the legs and torso.
These are not new concepts to auto manufacturers
Further, these small vehicles have become increasingly visible in the past year. “Sales of small cars soared when gas prices topped $4 per gallon last year but have fallen off as gasoline has retreated to about $2 a gallon and the economic downturn has slowed car sales. The small cars are affordable — prices of the three cars tested range from about $12,000 to $18,000 — and typically achieve 30 miles per gallon or more,” reports the AP.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Honda and Mercedes countered that the tests were “extreme” and simulated a type and severity of crash that is rare in real-world driving. More information on these tests can be found here, here, and here.
