04-07-2006, 04:46 PM
Okay, BGNR you get in your Scion and I'll get in say a Crown Vic. Bring her up to say 40 mph, head on. You still think it is safe?
The problems I have with crash ratings are:
1.) They compare the cars to others in their class but I have not seen a non-class ranked list of crash safety. Do you really think econobox cars like the Scion would rank well in this type of comparison?
2.) The crash testing involves dissipating the energy involved with just the car being crashed. Kinetic energy = 1/2 MV^2 where M = mass. So a heavier car has to be able to dissipate more energy than a smaller car when crashed into a fixed barrier. So in a collision between a larger car designed to absorb much higher energy with large crumple zones and a smaller car with very litte crumple zones there is a clear winner.
The problems I have with crash ratings are:
1.) They compare the cars to others in their class but I have not seen a non-class ranked list of crash safety. Do you really think econobox cars like the Scion would rank well in this type of comparison?
2.) The crash testing involves dissipating the energy involved with just the car being crashed. Kinetic energy = 1/2 MV^2 where M = mass. So a heavier car has to be able to dissipate more energy than a smaller car when crashed into a fixed barrier. So in a collision between a larger car designed to absorb much higher energy with large crumple zones and a smaller car with very litte crumple zones there is a clear winner.