HI, here is the link for the European rating on the Mini 07. Hope it helps you win your case
http://www.euroncap.com/tests/bmw_mini_2007/288.aspx

 

From my local KSBW TV news:
"CASTROLVILLE, Calif. -- A 51-year-old woman from Castroville was killed Friday afternoon on California State Highway 1 near Marina.The California Highway Patrol told KSBW Action News that the woman was traveling northbound in an SUV and attempted to change lanes.She swerved to avoid another vehicle, lost control of her vehicle, and crossed into the median, authorities said."

 

Happens all the time out here :-\. I saw one of those shuttle vans that take you to the airport that went THROUGH the center divider, and into oncoming traffic on the other side of the freeway. They had 8/10 lanes of the 101 freeway closed (Mind you this was at midnight, but the 101 is a MAJOR highway, I suspect the people on the van didn't make it out alive for them to close 80% of the major freeway from the Valley to Los Angeles).

People just think since there's more metal around them, they have a higher chance of surviving a major accident, on the contrary. SUV's have a higher chance of being IN an accident, the drivers have a higher chance of getting hurt in an accident, they have a higher chance of killing someone else in an accident because you drive through or over the other car involved, what is there to argue?

When compared to an average car on the road, there is NO increase in safety with the size of the car, it's been proven 100 times over, the only time it matters at all is when you are hit by an SUV going twice your speed, that weighs 3 times as much, by the same logic, if an SUV is hit by a truck going twice it's speed, weighing god knows how many times more, 5-6-7 even? Do you really think your going to survive?

Robin's right, this isn't an arms race. There's always going to be a bigger car on the road than what you're driving. If you think you're not safe unless you're driving the biggest, well, then you just have issues with insecurity.

 

I recently had a rather heated debate with my roomate on the issue of the mini being a safe car. It's small, a death trap, tin can on wheels etc. He has done everything he can to talk me out of the purchase, a 5 star crash test rating doen't mean anything to him, but it does to me...I still maintain that what makes me a safe driver is my ability to drive well, not the illusion of safety that comes from driving something larger. Having the manueverablity of the mini makes me feel confident of being able to avoid accidents. It also doesn't hurt to drive a car you actually care about, the last thing I want is someone running into my mini. I can honestly say that I don't feel as safe driving my dodge 15 passenger van. for me big does not feel safer.

 

As far as I'm concerned when its time to go its time to go.

However, the best defense I can give about safety is this: Know the limits of what your car/motorcycle/Suv/pickup can and cannot do. Know your own limitations as well. Don't drive as though your the only person on the road. Drive defensively. Constantly be aware of your surroundings (who's in front along side behind and who's blind spot your in). Use your cars abilities to help you avoid situations...handling,acceleration and breaking.

Sign up for a defensive driving course. If you can afford it sign up for a SkipBarber class....besides learning how to handle a vehicle, you will have alot of fun.

If your a lousy driver no vehicle is going to protect you. Most people aren't driving today. They are in their Mobile bathrooms, lunch rooms, office etc...

I make it my job to know what the person next to me is going to do before they do...I do this by reading the road, glancing at their heads and seeing where they are looking. Its amazing how you can anticipate another motorists next move before it has even occurred to them.

 

I agree. Human factor counts for more than half of what can prevent an accident, IMO also. However, as the poster posted the pictures accidents happen when it will happen and that's when the five star rating counts. The R53 did not get all five stars in all tests. I don't know if any small car received five stars in all tests. There are however, mid size sedans and SUV's that received full five stars in all tests. I have never hit any other car or I have not been hit by anyone in the last two decades. ABS, DSC, TC or any safety feature came to play. It was all me and my safe driving habbits.

 

I think the test may nave been discussed but it's interesting the see the pictures side by side.
http://bridger.us/2002/12/16/CrashTe...perVsFordF150/

 

its not the size that matters... really though, its how the car is made and how it absorbs the energy of the crash. You could have a 20 ton vehicle that was designed by an idiot that is still less safe than something like a smart car...

 

I once watched a documetry that stated that the best thing to prevent accident deaths would be to get rid of seatbelts etc. and mandate a 12" blade in the steering wheel pointing right at the the drivers chest.. with that obvious danger right in front of you we would drive much more carefully and the accident rate would drop almost to zero!!!

I have owned a few classic cars (currently a Mini) and one thing you must remember about these cars is that they are bloody dangerous. Knowing that does affect how much risk you are going to take when driving. Is a Classic mini going to hold up to an SUV? obviously no. Do I stay well clear of SUV's? Hell yea!! One of them a-holes on my tailpipe and I get out of the way -- one way or another.

To a lesser extent the same thing happens when we drive our modern Mini's and that alone makes them a little safer than people in these huge cars would imagine.

 

Does anyone remember the car the princess and Dodi were in when they were killed. My remerbrance is that is was a very large and heavy Mercedes that cost probably $70K-$100k. That didn't seem to help. Sometimes its just bad luck. The car seems to hold up well and if you look at the economies of scale in regards to the size and weight of a Mini, it is a super car.

 

you should really watch this Fifth Gear video on youtube,
a tiny modern renault hatchback vs. a big volvo wagon, guess which one's safer.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=k3ygYUYia9I

all cars are constructed similarly, think of the steel making up their unibody as if it were cardboard, try crashing a small cardboard box into a large cardboard box & see which one keeps its shape. As long as the box around the passenger keeps its shape, the airbags & seatbelts (with their pyro/pre-tensioners) will keep the passenger relatively unharmed.

bigger vehicles carry more momentum/energy, so they're less able to avoid accidents in the first place & most fatalities involve stationary objects; trees, telephone poles, concrete baricades, etc...
the bigger/heavier your vehicle the more momentum you carry into the collision, the heavier the damage, & the more likely you die.

 

To be fair, that is a previous generation Ford F-150 that dates back to 1993.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZWy_...eature=related

Check this out for safety. So bad that the ADAC tech were laughing at it. Even SUVs if designed poorly are deathtraps.

 

SUVs are not safe, either in avoidance handling (duh), or crumpling after a crash. I dreaded driving my 2 (every option) Jeep GCs on the freeway. Compared to the Mini driving one of those is sheer hell.

 

You know, that's what pisses me off about that whole thing. In fact, the Mercedes held up very well in a high-speed collision with a solid object. The problem was that the princess, Dodi and the driver all were not wearing their seatbelts. The one occupant of the car that was wearing a belt (the bodyguard, in the right front seat) survived the crash.

It has always seemed to me that that aspect of the crash should get more attention.

 

I was in an accident in my MCS fairly recently. The damage to the car was quite severe and was estimated at more than $16000, but it was all in front of the A pillar. There was no damage inside of the passenger compartment at all and I only suffered some back pain that was mostly cleared up with physical therapy. My infant daughter was in the back seat and did not suffer any injuries. After being in the accident I still believe that the MINI is a safe car and did its job of protecting me very well, enough so that I bought another one.