[Dodge Doll]

My gal pal was just up to Vancouver, Canada, over the weekend, and she tells me there's an awful lot of "smart cars" up there on the roads.

Does anyone else find the size of those things to be intimidating? I can't imagine the injuries if one was to be smoked into by an SUV, let alone a dumptruck.

I "get" the need for small, economical commuter wheels, I really do... but when they have to share the road with some of the behemoth's out there today, it's enough to make me shudder.

What's your take?

[vroombaby]

I understand the need but I do not like the safety on them. I have a normal sized car for those here in the US. I remember my mother refusing to drive anything small for the fear of being hit my a larger vehicle. I guess it stuck with me too.

[Wini]

I am kind of scared to ride in one because they are so small. I might ride in one locally but not on the freeway. I would be scared driving near so many big trucks, though maybe my anxiety isn't warranted.

[philio]

Wini, I feel the same way that you do, so if your anxiety is not warranted then mine is not either. I get nervous driving near Smart Cars and Motorcycles because If I mess up I could kill someone.

[sharky]

Aren't they supposed to be better for the environment? That might be why there are so many there. I think Canadians are more environmentally conscious than we are.

[HANG]

Originally Posted by sharky

Aren't they supposed to be better for the environment? That might be why there are so many there. I think Canadians are more environmentally conscious than we are.

That's true. The whole world is honestly more environmentally conscious than we are. But that said, we really need to get off this notion of smart cars being totally unsafe. They are just about as safe as any other average car, though not anywhere near as safe as a large SUV, they are actually safer than a compact.

One of the major problems with very small, light automobiles is that they can be unsafe in a collision. The Smart solution is the Tridion steel safety shell. This hemispherical steel "cage" encloses the interior of the car and also forms the bulk of the Smart's chassis. A small energy-absorbing crumple zone at the front of the car lessens impacts, and the engine lives in the trunk of the car instead of the front. While a 1,500-lb. car will never be as safe for the occupants as a larger vehicle, the Tridion shell holds up remarkably well in crash tests. A 70 mph crash test conducted by British TV show "Top Gear" revealed that the Smart Fortwo's body remained mostly intact when compared to that of a conventional subcompact car. A sudden deceleration from 70 mph will cause injury of the occupants in just about any vehicle.

[Dodge Doll]

I'd no idea the safety testing had gone to that degree... how interesting.

I still have an issue with the idea of driving a car so small that I feel like I'm wearing it, though: I can't see living through a t-bone by a dump-truck, passenger-side impact, in one of those itty-bitty things.

[Wini]

Originally Posted by Dodge Doll

I still have an issue with the idea of driving a car so small that I feel like I'm wearing it, though: I can't see living through a t-bone by a dump-truck, passenger-side impact, in one of those itty-bitty things.

That's me as well. I can't get over how unsafe I would feel just being in a car so small. I'm not saying a compact car is extremely safe at all and maybe it's just a false sense of security, but I'm sticking to that. I also feel like there aren't enough of these things on the road to predict what can happen.

[Dodge Doll]

Time will tell, the cars haven't been available for long enough for there to be any statistics as regards injuries/accidents/fatalities just yet.

After watching the Stanley Cup riots on TV, I'd say they're a little too easy to flip, though.

[NeedNewWheels]

Originally Posted by Dodge Doll

Time will tell, the cars haven't been available for long enough for there to be any statistics as regards injuries/accidents/fatalities just yet.

Yep, that's why I don't get a car that is new on the market. There aren't enough statistics available about Smart Car accidents for me to feel safe riding in one on the freeway. Maybe I'd ride one around town. I get that they're better for the environment but the safety of my family is more important.