Originally Posted By: ClarkB
Good to hear you're all right.
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
...I'm really glad that I wasn't in something like a Chevy Cobalt or a Honda Civic.
These statements always concern me though. If you really wanted something "big" which apparently offers more protection, why not just drive a mid 70's Caddy? Or is there more to surviving a crash than insulating your body with pure bulk? I don't mean to stir the pot but I think some real information is due, not simply personal feelings.
According to safecar.gov:
Civc and Silverado
The Civic is equal or better in all tested situations.
And the IIHS:
Honda
Chevrolet
The 2004 models of the Silverado and Civic rate the same for rear impact and head restraint protection, which is poor for both.
Now I'm sure someone will come along and say that both the IIHS and NHTSA are full of it and can't be trusted. Rene Descartes was right when he realized that a person can always doubt.
Clark
The issue here is that they aren't testing the Silverado against the Civic or vice-versa. They are testing the vehicle against its own mass, which of course makes the results relative. A Civic, being hit by a Corolla, Focus or something in line with it's own weight, and the impact occurring in the designed locations on the body would yield results similar to those tests. But being hit by a truck several thousand pounds heavier, with a higher impact point, and that changes the results.... Significantly.