My massive impact - A real life tale of small car vs large car safety.

[MAGPIE]

Originally Posted by BHDOGS

A small car is not as safe as a large car in the same circumstances of a crash all things replicated perfectly.

The problem with that theory is that out in the real world on real roads in real cars things are never replicated perfectly.

And what is safe exactly, how is it defined in the circumstances of a mva ?
If in a head on collision between a large 5 star car and a small 5 star car all occupants walk away uninjured, which car is safer ?

[BHDOGS]

Exactly my point so how does the op conclude small cars are just as safe as a large car because one crash hes been in worked out for him when nothing ever replicates in the real world thank you for walking right into my trap and my point THREADED ENDED.

[Nikked]

That his exact point, people just assume the crash physics are simple, and a large car is the only way to stay safe. Small cars can be just as safe as a large car, as there is more to surviving a prang then shear size alone...

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by BHDOGS

Exactly my point so how does the op conclude small cars are just as safe as a large car because one crash hes been in worked out for him when nothing ever replicates in the real world thank you for walking right into my trap and my point THREADED ENDED.

What is your opinion then if a person walks away ok from small car & person in big car is injured, mind you both cars same 5 star rating.

This does happens as all accidents can be quite different, your words.

[BHDOGS]

My thoughts are no crash is the same maybe the small car crashed into the big cars drivers door killing him instantly does that mean the small car is now safer? No peoples points have been in a crash one on one ALL things being equal the larger car will be safer if you drove head first into a small car the key word is ALL things being equal not a 70s old car into a 5 star new car not a semi truck into a mini all things being equal and thats the end of it all these other claims are just bullshit.

[Itsme]

The point some people is missing here on this topic is that you can walk away from a big impact driving a small car, no one is really arguing against the bigger ones being safer but the argument is the small cars do offer very good protection that people won't give credit to.

[BHDOGS]

small cars are exceptionally safe these days i wasn't arguing against that at all others might of tho

[Itsme]

Oh well I'm done with topic....... Cheers.

[MAGPIE]

Originally Posted by BHDOGS

No peoples points have been in a crash one on one ALL things being equal the larger car will be safer if you drove head first into a small car the key word is ALL things being equal not a 70s old car into a 5 star new car not a semi truck into a mini all things being equal and thats the end of it all these other claims are just bullshit.

Jesus wept, people just don't get it !

All things are never equal in a mva, not in the real world anyway




I'm done too...

to the OP thanks for posting this thread I appreciate it for what it was, shame the SCU and ANCAP wannabe's ruined it !

[BHDOGS]

I never said they always were equal I never mentioned ancap either so stop being a douche a putting other peoples arguments into my mouth if u dont like facts tough ****

[zilo]

Danny, just a little observation.....

Your 5 star car collided with a 3 star car did it not?

That's assuming that it was at least a 2008 model,,,and from your description of it having a bull bar (which prevents air bag deployment...its possible it was even less stars)

Not doubting that it was a severe impact but probably an explanation on why your car fared as well as it did...

Here is the Navara.....a piece of crap....remember there is less safety requirement for these vehicles too.

http://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/n...FcOXvQodnIYADw



Probably not the best thread title "small car Vs large car"

Would have been better to say " 5 star small car Vs piece of crap old large car" ?

[Danny]

Nah it was a D40, the next gen Navara, which is 4 star.

Still a heavy 4WD which until this thread was widely seen as the ultimate enemy of the small car was it not? It's only now that I have walked away from the seemingly unsurviveable crash of small car to 4WD that all of you are fighting tooth and nail to find reasons why the Renault wasn't smashed to bits, and I was not scraped from in between the folds of twisted metal ..

Is it really that hard to beleive that (shock horror!) I walked away from this accident because the car was well built, solid, and safely engineered?????

Maybe this concept of the safe small car is something only the younger generation can comprehend. Like selfies in the mirror....

NEXT.

[zilo]

Still...a 4 star versus a 5 star, and an off set collision.

I reckon you had the advantage...but only just...

BTW...none wants your blood...LOL...just you have been scant on details.

Anyway...you live to dance another day..

[TheSneakiness]

Originally Posted by Danny

Jesus tap dancing Christ! This man is an idiot! There must be something in the water in Ipswich that provides you with such wisdom.

No mate, there are people like me with common sense and can see what people are trying to convey and there's the opposite who live 15 years in the past.

EDIT - Also nice to come back from a self imposed 1 month sabbatical to see the same users still try to argue against fact. Awesome job. smh.

[Grunter]

I forced myself to plough through this thread hoping the garbage would stop, as I find the topic interesting. Sadly this thread typifies why I rarely bother contributing. The usual suspects (from ALL SIDES) abusing, attempting to belittle each, or worse acting holier than thou other constantly. Potentially good and interesting debates, yet again messed up. Good work lads!

Danny very glad that you could walk away, and thanks for sharing!

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by Grunter

I forced myself to plough through this thread hoping the garbage would stop, as I find the topic interesting. Sadly this thread typifies why I rarely bother contributing. The usual suspects (from ALL SIDES) abusing, attempting to belittle each, or worse acting holier than thou other constantly. Potentially good and interesting debates, yet again messed up. Good work lads!

Danny very glad that you could walk away, and thanks for sharing!

Thankyou, we try our best

PS: Comes under PUB, pub talk what do you expect!

[HyperXH]

Wow lucky to walk away there

[Danny]

Thanks guys,

Pleased to announce that insurance went through late last week and today I have put the order in for a brand new Limited Edition Megane Renaultsport RS265 Red Bull RB8.





I'm lucky enough to have met some great contacts around the Renault traps who were happy to do me an excellent deal after what happened, so I'm a happy camper.

As for the choice of car, It was a no brainer, I am 110% confident in the safety of the Megane, and its also a wonderful car to drive. I didn't want anything else (though I do like the Focus and Fiesta ST).

Thanks for all the input and debate in this thread, I hope it comes in handy to some of you who may be in the market for a small car for a downsize or a loved one. I've pointed out the facts in what happened to me, how you use this data is up to you and I wish you all the best of luck, and safe motoring

-Dan

[DJM83]

Looks good mate, pity they ruin it with the RB stickers. Guess its part of it though. Cant wait to see some pics of it when you get it.

[Danny]

Oh I'll be removing those straight off the bat. Don't you worry. Looking forward to cracking out the DSLR and taking some happy snaps.

[Nikked]

Is it the Vettel or Ricciardo version lol?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Danny

Thanks guys,

Pleased to announce that insurance went through late last week and today I have put the order in for a brand new Limited Edition Megane Renaultsport RS265 Red Bull RB8.

image

image

I'm lucky enough to have met some great contacts around the Renault traps who were happy to do me an excellent deal after what happened, so I'm a happy camper.

As for the choice of car, It was a no brainer, I am 110% confident in the safety of the Megane, and its also a wonderful car to drive. I didn't want anything else (though I do like the Focus and Fiesta ST).

Thanks for all the input and debate in this thread, I hope it comes in handy to some of you who may be in the market for a small car for a downsize or a loved one. I've pointed out the facts in what happened to me, how you use this data is up to you and I wish you all the best of luck, and safe motoring

-Dan

Get us some nice pics and a detailed write up when you get it

[Grunter]

Originally Posted by trublu

Thankyou, we try our best

PS: Comes under PUB, pub talk what do you expect!

Your welcome, try harder

3. Posts that are disrespectful or insulting to another forum member. Remember that everyone is entitled to their opinion as long as it is expressed in a reasoned manner.

6. Posts that are deliberately argumentative or which fail to respect the opinion of another member.

PS: Comes under this sites terms and conditions. Guess they are more guidelines.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by Nikked

Is it the Vettel or Ricciardo version lol?

LOL well I actually have to be able to like it, so it'd have to be the Ricciardo version

Big Damo - will do mate

[Crazy Dazz]

Not sure how this makes the case for Small vs Large safety?

By your own account "the Megane spun 90 degrees to the west, hit a traffic light, bounced off, and then slid across the road toward the south again coming to rest on the side of the road" so this was NOT a simple head-on collision, so its difficult to draw conclusions. 30 years ago a mate was involved in a "horror" offset smash, driving an old (60's) Fiat and hit by a Commode. The damage to the front of the Fiat was mind-blowing, but being rear-engined there was minimal intrusion into the passenger area, and being a fit 17yr old he walked away where an older person might have faired worse. My point is just that's its difficult to draw conclusions from offset collisions where many different dynamics are at play.

The Megane isn't so small by today's standards, and European cars have mostly always been well-built with an eye to safety. When I think of small cars being dangerous, I'm more thinking of the bus-biscuit size, and/or badly designed and built rubbish from Korea or China.

But your case probably does highlight the advantages of a modern, well designed, built, and safety equipped vehicle.

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Not sure how this makes the case for Small vs Large safety?

By your own account "the Megane spun 90 degrees to the west, hit a traffic light, bounced off, and then slid across the road toward the south again coming to rest on the side of the road" so this was NOT a simple head-on collision, so its difficult to draw conclusions. 30 years ago a mate was involved in a "horror" offset smash, driving an old (60's) Fiat and hit by a Commode. The damage to the front of the Fiat was mind-blowing, but being rear-engined there was minimal intrusion into the passenger area, and being a fit 17yr old he walked away where an older person might have faired worse. My point is just that's its difficult to draw conclusions from offset collisions where many different dynamics are at play.

The Megane isn't so small by today's standards, and European cars have mostly always been well-built with an eye to safety. When I think of small cars being dangerous, I'm more thinking of the bus-biscuit size, and/or badly designed and built rubbish from Korea or China.

But your case probably does highlight the advantages of a modern, well designed, built, and safety equipped vehicle.

Never mind the confusion among the facts.....there's a great site mentioned in earlier posts with statistics from over "1 million crashes". That'll tell you which cars are safer and is a tad more reliable then a few opinions from "one"incident.

But this case certainly highlights that modern, well designed,built, and safety equipped cars can also be small, and safe.

[MAD]

A strong passenger cell doesn't equal safe either.
The enemy of the human body is G-forces.
Stiffness creates G-forces, hence the need for both crumple zones and stiff cells.

I saw a video of a large car vs a smart car, and after impact the smart car's passenger cell was in great shape.... BUT.....and this is the important bit..... the large car was still moving forward, albeit much slower, but the Smart was now moving backward.

What does that mean? It means the large car did not have to decelerate as quickly (lower G-forces), but the smart car certainly did. Not only did it's forward motion have to stop, but it also gained some rearward motion.
And due to very short crumple zones, I'd say most of that force was transmitted to the passengers.

This is the simple physics that has been pointed out by many.


Sure no accident matches the tests, but if they fare better in the tests surely it's a better starting point for the real world too.

Isn't that why we try to choose a 5 star over a 4 star, because it's test results were better?

[jpblue1000]

Can we please stop using the words 'safe' and 'safer' in reference to the Monash University 1 million car crash study.
The study determined crashworthiness not safety.
It did not review the likelyhood of instances of life threatening crashes or a cars ability to avoid or not be involved in the crash in the first place.

JP