The 7 most unsafe cars on American roads

[mechanicx]

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/aut...icid=autos_2918

Ram 1500, Mazda Cx-9 and Cx-7, Chevrolet Colorado Crew Cab, Suzuki Sx-4, Nissan Pathfinder. It looks like they are all pick ups or crossovers.

 

[Turk]

Guts, glory, Ram.

 

[morepwr]

Originally Posted By: tpitcher
Guts, glory, Ram.

 

[mpvue]

ironically, except for the suzuki, these aren't small vehicles. common public (mis)perception is compacts are dangerous, and big trucks are safe.
I overheard some guys at work talking like this; "that little french fiat, that thing is dangerous, you don't stand a chance in an accident!"
(yes, he said the fiat was FRENCH)
he drives a nissan P/U.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: mpvue
ironically, except for the suzuki, these aren't small vehicles. common public (mis)perception is compacts are dangerous, and big trucks are safe.

In a head-on collision of a Ram vs. a SmartCar or a Fiat 500, I think I'd rather be in the Ram though.

 

[Bgallagher]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: mpvue
ironically, except for the suzuki, these aren't small vehicles. common public (mis)perception is compacts are dangerous, and big trucks are safe.

In a head-on collision of a Ram vs. a SmartCar or a Fiat 500, I think I'd rather be in the Ram though.



That's only if the Ram's transmission doesnt blow up

 

[JHZR2]

Interesting. Yeah, rollover risk is probably the main issue here... Surprised to see mazda here.

 

[mechanicx]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: mpvue
ironically, except for the suzuki, these aren't small vehicles. common public (mis)perception is compacts are dangerous, and big trucks are safe.

In a head-on collision of a Ram vs. a SmartCar or a Fiat 500, I think I'd rather be in the Ram though.



Absolutely, these test results don't really tell the whole story in real world collisions. If the Ram 1500 has a bad rollover results, that could be important though. What it tells me is, that if I'm concerned about safety and in the market for a full size pick up, I should get a Chevy or Ford or etc. And not that I would be safer in a Fiat 500 or some small car that has a good rating.

 

[SteveSRT8]

You can't stop physics from working for or against you in an accident. Velocity must be used up somehow...

Since they rarely happen like they do in a laboratory you can't count on these arbitrary "safety" results either. It's very dependent on what kind of collision, and what kind of vehicles, etc.

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted By: tpitcher
Guts, glory, Ram.

OMIGAWD! I guess I shouldn't have been running my Ram for a speed record down at the Ohio Mile last weekend. I could have been killed!

 

[SteveSRT8]

well? You can't just say that and not tell us how fast she ran!

 

[exranger06]

I'm assuming they're talking about the 7 unsafest BRAND NEW vehicles you can buy today. Surely there are many older vehicles still on the road that much more unsafe than all of these.

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
well? You can't just say that and not tell us how fast she ran!


112.1 mph. Yeah, it's not very fast in the high performance car scheme of things, but it did set a record for the Ohio Mile in its class. But better than that, I had a lot of fun competing with the former record holder.

 

[NHGUY]

And basically every vehicle made past like 2 years ago is "unsafe".Every LeMans/GTO,every Corvette,every Mustang,every Monte Carlo,every Aspen/Volare,every pickup truck,every import,everything.Get them all off the roads or 100,000 people will die this year....!!!!! Oh wait,less than 40,000 per year are dying now,gee,must be something else killing them,and not the "dangerous" aspect of each older vehicle they are driving.Cant outlive physics,and people's resistance to wearing seatbelts....as in "Lady Di".

 

[IndyIan]

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/summary.aspx?class=55
Probably best to go back to the source of this "article" instead of reading the poorly written summary of a summary...
Of more interest to most of us is the IIHS's historical data.
http://www.iihs.org/research/hldi/composite_intro.html
I find it interesting how the same car can have such different numbers of insurance claims depending on its badging, Tracker/Vitara, or even between the Dodge and Plymouth Neons.

 

[mattr0fact]

As mentioned before by SteveSRT8, these crash tests should be taken with a grain of salt. As a firefighter, I have seen plenty of car accidents. Despite all the different shapes and sizes that these accidents come in, one thing always holds true: the larger, heavier cars/trucks tend to do a better job at keeping their occupants safe. With modern restraints and curtain airbags, rollover accidents are hardly any worse than head-on accidents. After safe driving, the only thing that will keep you safe is your seatbelts and your airbags. When you hit a car head-on with a combined speed of 100+ MPH, the laws of physics don’t give a [censored] if you’re in a pickup or a smartcar. You’re dead.

I’m not a big conspiracy nut at all, but large cars get a really bad reputation due to the new eco religion in America. I sometimes think that these pickup/SUV crash test ratings might just be a little exaggerated.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Axeman
When you hit a car head-on with a combined speed of 100+ MPH, the laws of physics don’t give a [censored] if you’re in a pickup or a smartcar. You’re dead.


Just a note: if two cars are traveling 50 mph and hit head-on, that is not a combined 100 mph. Either car will react as if it hit a wall at 50 mph. Newton's 3rd law dictates this.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: Axeman
When you hit a car head-on with a combined speed of 100+ MPH, the laws of physics don’t give a [censored] if you’re in a pickup or a smartcar. You’re dead.


Just a note: if two cars are traveling 50 mph and hit head-on, that is not a combined 100 mph. Either car will react as if it hit a wall at 50 mph. Newton's 3rd law dictates this.

If the cars are identical as well. In terms of mass and structure.
A few hundred pounds difference won't matter much but once you get full-size trucks hitting small, midsize, or even large cars, the 2-3000lb difference plus unequal bumper heights makes the folks in the car dead and folks in the truck just sore.

 

[mattr0fact]

You're right - relative velocity. That, however, just further supports the "heavier cars are safer" theory.

EDIT: Indy beat me to it!

 

[kkreit01]

I saw this article a while back, and was surprised by some as well. This will only drive insurance rates up for these vehicles. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about the safety of none of them.