Cars and safety ratings

[CRF450]

When I see ads for a new car and SUV claim it as "safest in class" and that kind of stuff. I'm thinking, does it even matter? True that cars today are way safer than the airbagless bricks from almost two decades ago, but the fatality rates is sky high! Safety ratings dont mean shit when their are drivers out their that dont know how to handle a vehicle in a certain situation and are just plane clueless. Why? Our driver training system SUCKS!! Drivers ed in highschool teaches new drivers everything they should know except one VERY important thing. Handling a car in an emergancy! I'm not gonna say that I'm a perfect driver, I make a few mistakes here and their and learn from them, and I'm sure everyone here is the same way.

How do you feel about this type of marketing for autos?

[flvegan]

1. You know what I'd like to see in safety testing?

Real world tests. Yeah, it's great to see an offset impact with an immovable object at x mph. It's a good standard.

What I want to see, is a compact car getting rammed from the side or front by something as high set as an Escalade or big truck.

[CRF450]

2. I think they actually do tests like that, but not very fast at all like in the real world

And the SUV or truck usually fairs way better than a car.

[alarimer]

3. And they never mention how much damage those giant SUVs inflict on others.

when they hit them.

[CRF450]

4. Lets not turn this into another SUV bashing thread,

Theirs bad drivers in all kinds of vehicles. What I'm getting at here is that if we can train new drivers to handle an automobile better and not be distracted so much, we wont have so many accidents like their are now.

[LeftyMom]

6. SUVs are worse though

Largely because neither driver training nor our roads are designed for every old idiot to have such a large, heavy and minimally maneuverable vehicle. Also, the visibility in most of those things is horrible and most drivers do not appear to know how to compensate.

[alarimer]

7. They are much more prone to rollovers

and people do not know how to drive them. So that when they lose control, they are much more likely to rollover and maybe kill the occupants. It is inherent in the design but it is the fault of the operator that the rollover happens (well, except for all those rollovers due to faulty tires).

[LeftyMom]

5. Safest on which test?

I'm all for improved safety, but marketing SUVs as safe vehicles by comparing them to other SUVs is bullshit, because they're generally built on rigid truck frames and lacking basic safety features let alone more advanced ones typical of other vehicles in their price point. The main safety advantage they have is weight, and while higher weight improves accident performance it also degrades ability to avoid an accident, as well as endangering the occupants of the other vehicle.

If you want a very safe vehicle get either an import minivan (Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Nissan Quest) or a large american sedan (the Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Town Car is very safe and very reliable, not to mention dirt cheap used,) as a general rule those are the safest cars on the road.

[CRF450]

8. Crown Vics are defanetly pretty safe cars! Even though I dont like them much.

Minivans, I dont like either but the Nissan Quest is a nice one! My aunt had an 04 model, I didn't like how the guages were put in the middle but overall it was nice and has a crapload of space. (they move the guages back to where they should be for the 07's, and they look much better) Sadly she trade it in a few months ago for a Ford Freestyle because she needed a cheaper vehicle.

Me, I have an 01 Trans Am, and a Dodge Dakota. The Trans Am scores pretty well on frontal and rear crash tests, but not so good on side impacts, plus its horrible horrible on wet roads! But I love it anyways, its an awsome car to drive on dry roads! The Dakota does well in crash tests and handles wet roads pretty good. It doesn't hydra-plane nearly as easy as the T/A because of the all terrain tire treads. Just so you know, its my work vehicle, and I do drive it sometimes to keep the miles off the T/A and for hauling my dirtbike.