What are your thoughts on the safety of a Mini Cooper during a crash?

I just watched a horrific crash on youtube and it showing the victim dead in the mini. Horrible thing to see and what ticked me off the most was the poster posting his comment that it was more or less due to driving a small vehicle. I can't stress to everyone here and that drives any vehicle - drive defensive - drive safe -DO NOT TEXT AND DRIVE - in this video it appears he was rear ended. I don't know the exact cause of the accident but... prayers go out to him and his family. Even though this video is a year old it is a reminder to all of us... to be aware.

 

I accept driving a small car is more dangerous. But, I drive an F250 in the winter when the roads are more treacherous.

 

MINIs actually have pretty good crash ratings for their size, (except for maybe the 4-door ones).
I was impressed when someone turned left in front of me last fall resulting in my 2003 R50 being totaled.
The previous generation Ford F-150 pickup trucks (before 2004) did pretty damned awful in crash tests, so bigger isn't always better.

 

I think this is the first & only incident I've seen where a driver or passenger in a MINI died during the crash. I've seen/read many more accounts where the MINI took the brunt of the damage but protected its owner well, and they walked away with minor injuries. I think ours are pretty sturdy little cars, and seem to do well in the crash tests. Sure, there are safer cars, but there are worse cars too, regardless of size. Any crash can kill if it's severe enough & if circumstances are just so, but by & large I feel safe in my MINI - at least as safe as in any other car (Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Buick sedans) I've owned.

 

Id much rather try to brake and steer around a potential accident in a 2600lb zippy go cart handling Mini than a 4000lb F150 truck.

The best way to survive an accident is to not get into it in the first place.

Having said that, since moving to South Carolina my driving has become a lot more defensive as the drivers here are just terrible. Cell phone use and a lack of "hands free" rules dont help.

 

I'm normally on a motorcycle in Los Angeles County morning and evening traffic...so this is a BIG step up for me..!

Mike

 

Looking at the crash damage to all involved, I feel like most mid sized cars would not have faired much better either.

 

That has been my approach all along. I would rather have the ability to avoid an accident than depend on the weight and size of my vehicle to lessen the impact to those in my vehicle at the expense of the people in the other vehicle.

Pay attention to your driving and your odds are probably as good in a MINI as an SUV.

 

No car is 100 percent safe no matter how big it is. A few years ago someone was killed in a Suburban by a young woman driving a Hummer near our neighborhood. The only thing you can do is assume everyone is texting or otherwise distracted.

 

Texting is the #1 reason for crashes these days. All you have to do is look around while driving. 9 out of 10 drivers have a cell phone in hand.

 

Or a bowl of cereal, which I saw this morning on the highway.

I can't wait for completely automated cars so we can segregate the roadways.

 

So true, this baffles me every day....and it's everyone, young and old...….well not real old....