Reply #16: Smaller does not necessarily mean less safe.

[Fumesucker]

Smaller and more maneuverable vehicles are less likely to be involved in a collision in the first place.

The safest vehicle is one which is never involved in a collision.

The great majority of "accidents" are not really accidental, they are the result of carelessness, inattention, ignorance, poor driving skills or simple recklessness. I was taught this in training for my first fleet driving job back in 1970.

If you drive on the roads in the majority of European countries you will find the level of driving skills considerably superior to those displayed by most Americans. Americans, to put it bluntly, are mostly terrible drivers. The standards for passing the driver's test in most European countries are much higher than here in the US.

The recent thread about the left lane being a "passing lane" only on divided highways is a perfect example.. The sheer number of people that flatly refused to accept that it is safer if one moves over and gets out of the way of faster traffic was astonishing, or at least it would be if you hadn't driven on American highways.