Heh... found this little blog post, thought it was amusing/not surprising. http://www.thetorquereport.com/2009/04/post_33.html#more Size does matter afterall. Or we could just all ride in those banana cars that Cooler posted in the other thread. jk jk
huh..! that's why i prefer to drive Land rover Defender not my Sedan but it's a pitty that i don't have it yet.
THIS JUST IN... BIRDS GO TWEET!!! I had a go in an E60 5-Series way back when they were new, and I strongly suspect that it could smash a Smart Car into its constituent atoms without even waking the dog up. I always imagine that these bubble cars will be all that's left on the roads if the world ever descends into a 1984-style dictatorship, and I'm too big to get into and/or drive one...
My 3 sens-Here's the catch.. ..eventhough many (esp. the govts) are proposing to go the smaller car/more fuel efficient cars and the idea sounds great, we still have to deal with the many larger sized vehicles out there, namely big 18 wheelers, UPS/delivery trucks or other day-to-day service vehicles. To go along with the smaller car types and to reduce car crashes, don't be surprised if the speed limits on the highways and byways will be reduced as well.
Agree with you 100%. Just wait till a Smart get sandwich by 2 mini vans on the high way at 60 mph. Only the Governator can walk out of it alive. On the other side note. Why not just limit the micro cars to local street only? Just like you may not ride your 50cc Honda on the high way. Same as for Smart. Beside, those micro cars always hide in my blind spot (every time when there is a cute blond present)
Great idea! Shouldn't motor vehicle insurance be more expensive with smaller cars? What's the crash statistics with the Mini?
Is the U.S. becoming more like Europe or some parts of Asia??.. ..(i'm sure some have already know) there's been talk about CA building a super high-speed interstate rail system, that will go from L.A. (and maybe stop briefly at master silentheart's 2nd hometown of Bakersfield) to near Badminton Central's HQ in abt 2.5 hrs. But reality is, does CA even have the money to stomach the plan. To share another scenario (which is similar to another thread) here in the Los Angeles metro area alone, we have a so called Light Rail system. It has several routes. But the one which runs from the San Gabriel valley area to downtown, everytime i pass by one of the train stops (along the fwy), all i see is empty trains and empty stations. Where are all the passengers? I'm not saying all of them are passenger-less, but the demand is just not there. Now, the CA govt is trying to run or adopt a public transportation system that's similar to say NY/Manhattan area (where our master LazyBuddy resides) and Chi-town (where our master silentheart resides). Reality is, Los Angeles area ain't the same as NY or maybe Chi-town. We, Angelinos love to ride in our own fixed-up cars, sometimes with the rooftops all rolled down, the car sound system drumming the whole neighborhood and get baked by the sun. Least to say, if one doesn't have his or her own transportation, one is handicapped. Also, i'm sure master Pete has experienced the vastness of Los Angeles. Just going from SGVBC to a restaurant is quite a ways, let alone going from our Master Nice Gentle Panda's HQ to SGVBC. So, tell me, will a public train system really work in Los Angeles/CA?? I'd give this though, the Metrolink is the only one that's worked so far. Yes, we already have something similar to a high-speed public train system and it's called Amtrak (mostly on the East coast, Acela). And now, the federal government is trying to propose/support more train systems ala those in Europe or parts of Asia?? Esp. now the U.S. fed govt. is trying to bring in more smaller type/more fe cars (with Mr. O'Drama's admin. basically buying the Big 3 Automakers) and controlling what type of vehicles the Americans should drive.
Yes. More expensive on Physical Damage (ie Coll and Comp) while lower on Liability. Good crash rating because German engineering. Insurance records are good because the drivers are either a very skilled driver (Italian Job) or women who drive at speed limit (Look at Meeee. I have a rich dad or husband...).
The problem is just the percentage of these small cars is too low. Just like scooters in Taiwan, if 90% people are riding scooters, every car/truck drivers has to look out for them. So wait till 90% of the cars on the street are cars like Smart car, problem will be solved. For the high speed railroad from LA to SF mentioned by ctjcad, I voted against it. I thought it's a stupid idea. But somehow it's passed. Public transport system will only work only in high populated area like SF downtown, Manhattan, Hong Kong, Taipei,... It takes 1/2 hour to drive to work, but light rail takes 1 1/2 hours. No wonder they are always empty even in peak hours. Waste of tax payers' money.
We might as well all be riding on Segway's... Oh no... not your regular segway... I mean the one with the monster truck - off road tires!!! http://www.segway.com/individual/models/x2-adventure.php
Soooooooooooo... I decided to actually read more about this testing done by the IIHS Here's the video link to see what REALLY happened during the crash test. As many have said. It should come as no surprise a small car vs a larger car will always get knocked silly. There is no way to defy the laws of physics. Enjoy the video! http://www.iihs.org/video.aspx/releases/pr041409 EDIT: The IIHS report, should also have stated. That they discovered that the SMART can actually fly!!!
Seriously, the Smart car should only be used in a city with lots of traffic lights. As a side topic, here are things that can improve the Smart: Make it a diesel/hybrid with permanent electric drive(s) make it a four-door and four seats Okay, the Smart Four will be too expensive . . :crying:
