I'm pretty impressed with the safety equipment on the Mini but, of course, when I tell people I intend to buy one, they quickly state concerns about its small size and predict my imminent DEATH in an accident with a big SUV. Anybody want to share experiences?? (I did read about the guy who was rear-ended by a Silverado and lived to tell -- impressive!) Any other stories worth telling out there???

 

The best safety feature is the incredible handling.. avoid the accident in the first place.

..and how many SUVs have a 4-star gov't crash rating??

 

Check out this:

http://www.motoringfile.com/2004/05/...r_vs_ford_f150

Just remember this is both vehicles in the same test crash, not into each other.

 

Unless you are rear ended, I personally think you're not likely to run into an SUV. This fear is based more on ignorance than any real facts. Those cars flip at the drop of a hat. We've had an SUV in the family for 11 years, and never suffered any accidents or problems, but they are certainly more top heavy than a MINI. On the freeways, I love to accelerate when I'm approaching the curves and watch the SUV's hit the brakes as they negotiate the curve. Just drive with a nice safety cushion zone, and be mindful of your surroundings.

There was a recent accident where an SUV crossed over a number of lanes of traffic, flipped over, and one of the occupants--a child flew out of the car, onto some nearby railroad tracks only to be run over by a passing train! Is that freaky or what? Sounds like a tall tale, but it really happened just a few weeks ago.

I guess if it's YOUR time to go, it's time to go!

 

I have a 93 Suburban and my MCS....definitely feel safer in the MCS.

I agree Octaneguy, if its your time to go, you're going...

some years ago I was planning to go with friends to an event...in an SUV...at last minute I decided to stay home and read a book(????) 20 minutes later, my friends were rolled over by a Semi truck avoiding another driver...no one in the SUV survived...all wearing seatbelts, did nothing wrong, unavoidable accident...

can't overcome physics, and you're never gonna be the biggest guy on the road...gotta watch out for the other guy, drive defensively (which is NOT passively) and...make your moments count, whatever that means for ya!

 

The question is not crash-worthy, but crash-survivable. Undoubtedly, a small light car might be more easily totalled than a big SUV, but the Mini is a very survivable car, with all the airbags and construction designed to keep the driver and passengers safe. Walking away from a totalled car is better than losing your life in a repairable one.

 

Definitely.

I'm a long-time saturn driver. How many times do you think I've heard clueless people ask "Do you feel safe in a plastic car?" And some nuts cite their friend's totaled saturn as a reason not to buy one. Meanwhile, their friend walked away from the accident with nary a scratch. Crumple zones, passive restraints, airbags, and low center of gravity made the S series very survivable.

 

At the end of July I totalled my MINI Cooper. A deer ran out in front of me on a curve and I lost control trying to slam on the brakes. I slid into the ditch, nailed the bottom of the ditch with the right front corner and rolled it at least one full time. I pulled a muscle in my back and sprained my knee. The worst part about me was I tore a nice pair of jeans! The car was trashed, but the cabin was in great shape. I was wearing my seatbelt so that kept me safer, but I owe alot to that little car. This is the reason we are replacing it with a new MINI Cooper S. As a matter of fact, it is going down the assembly line now.

 

I am surprised that no one has posted the official crash test results on the MINI, so here it goes (For Imaginemini):

"Best Pick" by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety:

http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/0222.htm


4 Star (Frontal crash) rating NHTSA tests:

http://www.bmwworld.com/models/mini/news.htm

http://www.nhtsa.gov/NCAP/Cars/2885.html


4 Star rollover rate.

Hope this helps.:smile:

 

Thats one of the top 3 reasons I got my MC

 

Of course, these are the same people who would never tap a Hell's Angel on the shoulder and ask if he felt safe on his little two-wheeler.

 

I pretty much had a head on collision with a ford f series truck back in may. The frame rails on my car werent even touched.

 

do you have pictures? If not, OK. The important thing is that you weren't hurt. I'd still love to see pictures.

 

My 2003 MINI was hit by a loose flying truck tire in December 2003. I was driving about 50 mph in darkness and light rain; didn't have any reaction time to get out of the tire's way.

The Accord 100 yds ahead of me was also hit (I caught the next bounce). Its hood was completely crushed, the radiator burst and the engine stalled.

The tire came down atop my right headlight and bounced clear. I heard a loud BAM but the car never wavered or left its track; I mean it never broke stride. I wasn't even sure I had contacted anything until I stopped to help the folks in the Accord.

They needed a tow; I drove home. The MINI needed a new hood, fender, headlight and assorted trim but there was absolutely no damage to the frame. It still tracks like new and shows no signs of its adventure; a flimsier car, like a Cavalier or something, would drive crab-style for life after something like this.

The car is TOUGH. A stout little brick. Very impressed. I feel very safe in it and so should you. Next time I face road debris hopefully it will be broad daylight and I can use the MINI's handling to get the heck out of the way in time.

 

The other important consideration is the difference between active and passive safety.

People often *feel* safer in an 3+ ton SUV because they have thousands of pounds of steel, plastic and rubber between their person any anything that they might hit. Those things that protect you in the case of an accident are the passive safety aspects of the vehicle.

However, people often neglect to think about which vehicle is better equipped to aviod an accident in the first place. A typical accident aviodance manuever may require you to quickly swerve one direction (to avoid hitting something) and then quickly server back the opposite way (say, before you hit oncomming trafic). In a small, nible car like the MINI, (even at speed) such a manuever can be performed while still keeping the car under control. Now imagine yourself behind the wheel of a full size SUV... it may make that first swerve (and create some serious body roll) but the second swerve (to avoid oncomming traffic) may be near impossible. SUVs just aren't nimble enough to perform those manuevers in a conroled manner. That ability to avoid an accident in the first place is the active saftey of the vehicle; and it is every bit as important as the passive safety.

 

I got in a somewhat minor accident a few months ago. I was driving in the center lane of a 3 lane one way because the left lane was closed for construction. I needed to make a left turn at the next intersection and didn't notice that the left lane construction had ended and had now opened up. Well I went to make a left turn thinking I was still in the leftmost lane and a Honda Pilot had snuck in behind me and to my left so when I turned (quite agressively too, this in a MINI after all ) I ran the side of my car into the front corner of his. The car held up pretty well, I'm still driving it with the damage it has to it. There's a big gash on the driver door and behind that under the gas cap. Not only did the metal hold up very well, but the paint didn't even scratch through! The clear coat was scraped off in a couple of places but the paint is still in tact! No rust! and I've been driving with it like this for about 3 months.

 

my cooper gave its life up for me this time last year...
it's very crash worthy to say the least!

 

The dealer told me of an SUV hitting a MINI in the side -- which he said had just happened recently. The MINI had very little damage as just the outside of the door had a little damage, but the SUV had much more damage to its front end. So the SUV lost!

 

In almost every instance of an accident involving a MINI, the passengers have survived with little or no injuries. The MINIs, on the other hand, may have been totalled, or not, depending on the circumstances.

I remember back in '02 reading about an accident one of the early adopters had had: His wife was driving and he was in the passenger seat. They somehow got clipped on the passenger side by a large SUV, possibly while changing lanes. Anyway, the MINI ended up rolling, then skidding along on it's top for quite some distance. One of the doors came off, the sunroof was totalled, the the bonnet was trash, the car was essentially as crumpled as it could get. The passenger cabin was basically intact. When the car stopped, the guy checked himself for injuries and had none. His wife was okay too. The only injury she got was a cuncussion when she unclipped her seatbelt and hit her head!

I'd much rather have my nimble little 'tank' than any other vehicle out there. :smile: The only drawback to a design meant to 'give up it's live for yours' is that if you get in a fender bender it's a little more expensive to fix. I'll take safety over economy any day!

 

ME TOO

 

Sorry i chimed in late, been really busy. Heres the pics:

 

The last three didn't come through... check the links.

 

The pictures work for me? Maybe imagestation was down.

 

I remember that accident too and I spoke with the owner because he was a San Diego Resident and I was there studying at UCSD at the time. the accident happened on the 52 freeway which i take all the time to get food and boba drinks and such. I wanted to find that thread but I cant seem to locate it anymore and I forgot his handle name. Anyone know where that post is?

 

hmmmm... weird. The first time I checked this thread after your post, I only got the first one; the next time I got the first two; this time I'm getting the only the last three, except that 3 and 4 look like the same image. Very weird...

EBMCS, I think the guy's handle was something like 'Marcus SD'? I remember that he'd posted pics intially but then had to pull them quickly at the request of his insurance company.