Kinda interesting, fairly comprehensive approach.

http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/veh..._0726cars.html

 

I see Mazda 3 made the list.

 

I am a bit puzzled about the Mazda 3 on the list. From all I've read, and from the research one of my best friends did before she bought one, is that with the side bags they are safe.

At first, I thought OH NO, maybe the MINI would be on the list I should have known better!

 

I think all cars are pretty darn safe nowadays....list irrelevant.

 

+1. i think it really depends on the driver and luck.

 

I wouldn't have put it in OT then Didn't mean to scare ya though

I think that perhaps once you or a loved one are injured in an accident it changes your POV - to me the scope and severity of an injury varying based on the car's structure and equipment is a real issue and something to take into consideration.

As it is I am taking a much closer look at how the headrests in cars fit me now they they have revealed the real difference it can make in how severe your neck injury can be. Whiplash as a term sounds trite but the actual injury to your spine and soft tissue can be very painful and lasting (trust me I know). Unfortunately I am finding that there are cars with detached headrests that simply cannot be made low enough to be in the right position for me :P

 

I guess insurance companies are going to stop asking us the make and model of cars we drive when we want insurance, since all vehicles provide the same safety quotient. Obviously the driver has something to do with the equation when figuring insurance rates but I think an equal or bigger part of the equation is the make and model of the car. If you knew a Mini had a terrible safety record, I would think that one would consider this fact before making a purchase. All cars are not equal in the safety category and making a statement in this regard is incorrect. Talk to some of the first responders, I'm sure they will have a different point of view.

 

its no suprise that small cars get slammed in this test, b/c crash tests never take into account a cars accident avoidance ability, which ignores a nimbler cars ability to not only avoid an accident, but to reduce the impact it would receive when it DOEs get in an accident. This happens all the time, this is why people think bigger is safer

 

I don't know if I agree with this statement...if you read on some of those cars that made the list, they are getting slammed for their accident avoidance. Looks like they are slamming some of the SUV for rollover's too, even though they may have faired well in the frontal collision.

 

I dunno...I see y'all's point but this is a sliding scale, right, and it always will be. There'll be winners and losers. But are the losers "most dangerous?" Isn't that a bit strong? When I think of dangerous I think of classic Minis and such that some of our folks are driving about. Those are dangerous! Motorcycles...yeah, dangerous. But these cars I just don't think of as fitting in that "dangerous" category...none of them. The standard is so much higher than where it was some time back.

The roads are dangerous and drivers can be dangerous but these particular cars in and of themselves....not so much, imo.

 

My daughter rolled and flipped her Mazda 3 several times in an accident and ended up in a 12 ft deep ditch. The car was totaled but was really in good shape. She walked away as did a passenger.

Don

 

So how is this car "dangerous???" Sounds pretty safe to me!!! (glad your daughter is okay)

 

They explain how they come to their conclusions and all the factors considered, so I think they answer those questions in the article and blurbs next to the vehicle photo - that aside I boil it down to the simple example that in one car in the same accident me or my loved one would walk away with a bump on the head and in the more dangerous car there would be brain damage.

Personal examples aside most dangerous is applicable when all the info for the vehicle at hand is considered and the likihood of things weighed. I'm not saying that this list is all knowing or even accurate in all cases, but on the other hand it makes good points and all vehicles are far from being equally safe.

 

I noticed that list is heavy with Korean made cars-they need to improve their rating if they want to be a major player in other than third world markets. I was confused by the listing of the Honda S2000 (is it still offered?)-it got 5 star ratings but was listed because a lack of side bags-in fact the addition of side bags would omit 3-4 from the list-but the S2000 got a 5 star without the bags. The ford focus surpirsed me as well as it was designed in Europe to comply with their much stricter saftey codes- they have a new version over there and maybe the euro focus has side bags- I believe the Focus and the Mazda3 share a platform as well.