Columnist, Charles Krauthammer, recently stated (I'm paraphrasing) that "lighter cars", being inherently unsafe, should be de-emphasized. It's an interesting argument for maintaining the status quo in Detroit, but his way of making that argument was, to me, unsettling at best. So I responded with a letter to the editor, a letter published in this morning's Albuquerque Journal. Just thought I'd share (the title is theirs):


Light Can Make Right Vehicles

Columnist Charles Krauthammer tells us China's new car - the Brilliance BS6 - failed its crash test in Germany for the second time. It was given one star.

He says this, "lighter car" failure is an example of the price in safety we'll have to pay to meet the new mileage requirements. Bad argument. The Brilliance is a mid-size car. If he wanted to select a small car as an example, he might have chosen the economical little MINI Cooper. Unfortunately for Krauthammer's argument, the MINI Cooper recently earned a 5 star occupant protection rating in Europe's ANCAP crash test.

Maybe Mr. Krauthammer should, rather than fight the inevitable swing to more economical cars, fight for higher standards on imports. Fight for our nation's manufacturers by forcing the Chinese manufacturers to spend the money necessary to meet the quality and safety standards that we demand of industry here in our own country.


Wikipedia states: "In 2006 the Financial Times named Krauthammer as America's most influential commentator, saying he "has influenced US foreign policy for more than two decades".

My letter was simply, albeit in a small way, my own attempt to counter what I consider to be, misguided influence.

 

very well put together. America needs to learn that bigger is not always better

 

Very nice, Ken. That bigger is better argument always pissed me off. Why not all just drive tanks? Same thing with the speed limit reduction argument.

 

I always enjoy when one bad example is used to label an entire category.

If that were true, then obviously all SUVs are inherently unsafe and should be de-emphasized due to their greater tendency to roll over because the center of gravity is up higher than a passenger car.

"Small" or "Lightweight" != unsafe (Though you might argue that a MINI isn't exactly "lightweight")

I like this youtube clip from Fifth Gear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcuimw8ql_A

I'm sure you've seen it. Smart Car into a concrete barrier at 70mph. We can argue the extent of the occupants' injuries, but the structure of the car held up under a massive impact. Not to mention it has earned gov't approval for sale here in the States.

 

I've said many times that after all of the horrific accident photos posted here, I never felt as safe as I do driving my MINI. So many people walk away from accidents in their MINIs that it just amazes me.

 

Excellent.


+1

 

Took me awhile to come around to the same logic, MLWagner....but I have.

I came from big SUVs for 14 years. Going into the MINI was scary to me. Pulling up next to a bus, being eye-to-eye with their tires, and reading how much air pressure is needed was freaky for awhile.

It's been 10 months, and I'm loving it now. I still miss being "up high" and seeing everything in front of me for as far as the eye can see - but with a MINI I've found that, in general, the quick nimble instant reaction of the car to anything unexpected, offsets long-range visibility. I still despise being stuck behind a truck, minivan, or SUV where I can't see anything but bumper, license plate, and tailgate.

The pictures and stories here on NAM tell the tale(s) of MINI safety. Soooo many people walk away from a wrecked MINI, whereas the pictures look as if no one should have walked away. It's counter-intuitive and took me awhile to assimilate it.

Good for you for speaking out, Ken.

 

We have an Expedition, so I know what you mean, Tig. But I am confident in the MINI because, not only is it built safe, I know it can help me avoid an accident.

 

Well written rebuttel.

 

... neurosurgery, quantum physics or swimming pool construction as I know nothing about these subjects. Mr. Krauthammer would be well advised to do the same in regards to the kinematics of a vehicle crash.

Measuring 192.1 inches overall the Brilliance BS6 is sized like a BWM 5-Series or a Mercedes E-Class. And while the appropriately named 4-cylinder car weighs in at a tad under 3200lbs, (about 250 lighter than a I6 523) it's still far from what any semi-conscious person would call a "lighter car."

For what it's worth, in the end of his freshman year, Mr. Krauthammer was paralyzed following an accident. Perhaps that is the reason for his tirade against those astonishingly dangerous "lighter cars."

BTW, here's a gratuitous shot of the Brilliance BS6 that did very poorly in the Euro NACP and German ADAC crash tests recently...

... Quite a looker, isn't it?

 

Nice looking Mistu... er, Hyund.. er, Satur... uh... what did I rent???

 

Personally, I'm fond of the pseudo-Lancia grille that will give the car so much more credibility in Germany.

 

Did you hear this MP3 from the SUVOA? (SUV owners of America)

http://www.suvoa.com/assets/media/CAFE_radio_07.mp3

"People died because mileage rule resulted in smaller less safe cars."

And you can't go to yellow stone park w/o an SUV and a trailer? How much crap do you need to go on vacation.

WHAT CRAP!!!!!

 

Tig, you are just living in the wrong state.

In Texas, trucks do not have tail gates. They are removed as quickly as possible as it helps with aerodynamics. The rear license plates are only an occasional issue when they dangle just right from the coat hangar wire holding the one side on. The bumpers are not an issue, as they have been removed to be replaced with a massive chrome bumper Bubba will never order.

None of it would matter anyway, as they are all jacked up 6 feet off the ground, so you can see under them. If you dunt(tm) have a flip-out ladder to climb into the seat with, you aint got a truck at all.

And if one pisses you off, all you have to do is get out and kick its tires. It will flip from the center of gravity being 42 feet above the axle line, thereby rendering the truck a nice side marker on the road.

Yes, we desparately need more of these vehicles on the road. They are far more safer than the Mini. Because they can go over an accident and not be bothered with attempting to avoid it. And if they manage to become part of the accident, then that is ok too. as the tow truck drivers still need work!

 

We should find all the threads about MINI crashes so he can see how well the cars protect the occupants and forward the links to him.

Nah, we better not. Then he would talk about MINIs being involved in so many crashes(vs larger-and supposedly safer-vehicles) and say they are unsafe because "look at all the accidents MINIs are involved in".

 

That is just it. Those against the small car immediately state, "Well, if you would have been driving a proper Behemoth Model 4000XLT-SZ, you would not have had the wreck". Or it would have only resulted in a ding in the bumper, not a totaled car.

Ya have to get with the program. The larger the sheet metal is, the more damage has to be done to it before anyone notices. Once you wrap yer brain around that, then it becomes clear how ones thinking can be so screwed up when it comes to the size of the automobile.

 

And the larger area it is, the easier it is to crumple it.

 

Mr. Krauthammer's point was that a government mandated increae in MPG standards would require cars to be smaller and that smaller cars are generally less safe in a collision. Physics should tell you the truth of that. If I was to be involved in a collision, other things being equal, I would prefer it be in a larger vehicle. While the MINI is a safer small car than most my guess is that a large sedan or SUV would fare better in a collision with a big SUV than most any small car.

 

All you got to do is go read the IIHS web site for the MINI. For head-on collisions, the physics are absolutely true. You just can't get around the fundamental F=MA law. IIHS clearly states that all rankings are for cars WITHIN the class of cars. For example, MINI does very well in the subcompact class.

For side impacts, its not necessarily true. Sideimpacts are not quite the same.

If anybody doesn't believe it, all you got to do is look up the data.

 

check this site out for crash test results from Consumer Reports on various makes models of cars.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...htestvideo.htm

All I can say after watching that is that I would MUCH rather be in the Mini than a Crown Victoria in a side impact - one of the largest American made cars. Even with the side airbags the side impact in the CV looks brutal.

I think that as a generalization you can't say that today's small cars are not as safe as large cars or SUVs. Using a full sized car from a country without US or European safety standards to prove this point is misguided logic at its best.

That all being said, a car biggest safety device is the driver. Someone driving down the road talking on a cell phone (even hands free), shaving, drinking a 42oz soda, eating a cheeseburger, flipping through the radio, queuing up the DVD for the passengers, and/or doing anything other than driving in a manner consistent with road conditions instantly degrades the safety standard of their vehicle. It doesn't matter if they are driving a Mini an Excursion or a Semi.

 

As I said, read the IIHS reports and testing methods. Its all there. Side impacts you can compare between classes. Frontal impacts, only within a class. If your going the same speed and have a frontal impact with much greater weight ... you lose ... period.

If you want to do greater damage, you need high velocity, like a bullet weighs little but moves fast.

 

consider the writer of the article...nuff said

 

Maybe you're right. Hmmm. Gotta tell you though, I'd have sworn Mr Krauthammer's prime reason for writing that column wasn't at all about concern for the safety of automobile drivers.

When it comes to, "physics" .. Crumble zones, pre-tensioned seat belts, front air bags, side air bags, head air bags, reinforced passenger compartments, ABS, DSC, Brake Force Distribution, and countless other acronym'd safety devices all play a part in the physics of a crash.

Actually, the best thing, or at least the first thing, a regulatory organization that oversees the auto industry should do for the safety of all of us is insist that all vehicles have bumpers the same height. Now there's something that would certainly benefit drivers of every car on the road.

And, as the big vehicles get smaller, over time the probability of being in a collision with one of those big SUVs will be less and less. The U.S. will become more like Europe where gas prices have been high for a long time. As in Europe, the cars that sell well will certainly not be the behemoths. There will definitely be, as time progresses, a more equalized situation on the highway.

Remember this?

http://www.bridger.us/pictures/mini_vs_f150.jpg

Mini Cooper - Ford F150 Crash Tests (5 years ago)

 

Thanks for the great reply.
I have been a small car guy for 20 years becasue of the environment. We just do not need to be driving 2 ton cars/trucks with one person.

 

And for the star of the show:

Brilliance BS6 Crash Test Video

To be honest, I don't know why they even bothered putting airbags in this thing...