One argument against smaller, more fuel efficient cars has always been that they are unsafe. The perception is generally the bigger the car, the safer it is. In fact this has often been used as a justification to opt for large sedans and even four by fours or jeeps. However, the results of a new study might put this belief to rest, and, given out of control petrol prices, give people few reasons for not driving a tiny car.
The study occurred in New Zealand, and bases its results on analysis of over 3 million crashes that took place in both Australia and New Zealand between 1986 and 2006. Large cars and four by fours actually often fared worse in crashes than far smaller cars in some instances.
However, many parts of the report are problematic and clearly the claim that small cars are safer than larger cars cannot be made. For starters, much of the information in the study comes from vehicles that were made before the 1990s when many safety measures were installed, and large cars were dangerous because of factors other than their size; such as a lack of airbags, or seatbelt pre-tensioners. Used cars made before 1990 fared substantially worse and could skew the results of the study. Clearly more research needs to be done, but it is still interesting to see a study challenging a commonly held notion that bigger cars are naturally safer.
Tags for this article: accident, road safety