Crash tests reveal safety trade-off in superminis

by Stevie Smith - Apr 14 2009, 15:30

Nippy small cars may be easier on the pocket, quicker around the city and kinder to the environment, but new crash collision results have revealed that the associated advantages of such vehicles are apparently traded off against the safety of their drivers.

The tests in question, which were carried out by the Insurance Institiute for Highway Safety, focused on small cars such as the Honda Fit, Smart ‘fortwo’, and Toyota Yaris, and discovered that occupants could suffer considerable trauma to their legs and heads if involved in front-end collisions with larger, heavier vehicles.

While the institute has said its collision study clearly highlights safety deficiencies in a number of economically and ecologically attractive small cars, manufacturers have been keen to point out that the test conditions are indicative of an extremely rare high-speed incident.

“If you were to take that argument to the nth degree, we should all be driving 18-wheelers,” commented Smart USA president Dave Schembri in an Associated Press report, “And the trend in society today is just the opposite.”

In terms of the results attributed to each of the 40mph test collisions with larger cars, the Smart and its dummy occupant sustained extensive damage within the cabin and the car was also spun 450 degrees after being struck head-on by a Mercedes C Class.

According to Schembri, the little Smart ‘fortwo’ has achieved a solid rating with the U.S. crash test program and holds top safety scores from the institute when assessed in collisions with vehicles of comparable physical size.

In the tests involving the Fit and Yaris, pitted against a Honda Accord and Toyota Camry respectively, results showed a significant risk of leg and head injury for the driver.

Spokesmen for both Honda and Toyota stood by the robust construction of their superminis, citing the test’s unusual and extreme conditions, and even calling into question the test’s relevance given the severity of the crashes.

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