Is the Smart Car a Death-Trap?
Yesterday we talked about the smart car and how well it has been selling. Today I’d like to talk about it’s safety. In the course of my investigations I came across a really interesting video on You Tube that shows a smart car crashing into a concrete wall at 70 mph. The interesting thing is that the smart car holds up remarkably well to the impact. This is credited to the smart’s cage design. The smart was created so that the passenger area would not crumple upon impact, and thus give the driver a better chance at survival.
The rub with the smart’s design is that the cage design creates its own dilemma. Even though you may not get crushed to bits when you slam into that Hummer, you will still likely die. Your death would not however be from getting crushed between your seat and the steering-wheel, but rather from your internal organs smashing into your skeleton. Since the smart is designed not to crumple the impact will eventually be absorbed by your body.
All-in-all the smart car is probably a safe choice for slower driving, but not something you want to slam into a wall with at high speeds. As the You Tube video states, you would be “very unlikely” to survive a crash at high speeds in the smart car.
Interesting article but it is “very unlikely” to see a Smart Car traveling at 70mpg in real life. Acceleration is poor. Anyone wanting to travel at that speed is likely not driving a smart car. For city driving which is the target market one shouldn’t be worried about that.
Steve,
I honestly was surprised to find out a smart car could even go 70 mph. I agree with your comments, but I still wouldn’t want to get into an accident with one, at any speed really.
The smart car cruises easily at 75 mph.
Mine currently has over 100,000 miles.
I have travelled the interstates to Detroit,Chicago,Tampa, Norfolk, and New York.
I think the smart is a 100 times safer than a motorcycle and I have no fear driving on the highway. I have the diesel version and can get 60 mpg.
I love the smart!
Cheers!
Smart,
Thanks for the comment. I agree it is safer then a motorcycle, but driving a small car myself I simply worry about the number of SUVs and trucks on the roads. Hopefully those will go the way of the Dodo and be replaced by smaller, more fuel efficient cars in the near future, allowing us a safer drive. Thanks again!
There are over 14,000 smart cars in Canada since 2004. While there have been a number of serious crashes involving smart cars and large SUVs as well as tractor trailers there have been no serious injuries or deaths – none.
In the 70 mph crash demonstration mentioned above the driver would die. I don’t know of any vehicle that could decelerate a car slowly enough to protect the driver in that crash.
There are several documented accidents though of a tractor trailer hitting a stopped smart from behind at 50 mph and the smart driver walking away unhurt.
Rich,
Thank you for your comments, great first hand info.
-Chris
I won’t feel safe in that “rolling coffin” until they shrink diesel trucks and busses….could you imagine getting creamed in that thing by a bus? I drive a Cadillac and a woman pulled into my path, I had no time to even apply the brakes it happened so fast, the seat belts didn’t even cinch to hold me in place….my car was “embedded into the side of that plymouth…now if I had been in that smart crap…I’d be dead!!
I’ve got a Smart car, and it has no problem reaching 70+. It doesn’t reach it particluarly fast, but there’s no problem on I-66 in Virginia at 75. Governer set at 90 mph, but I’ve never tried to go that fast.
Rated hp is 70 Feeling among tech-savy Smart owners is that we can get another 5hp just by tweaking w aftermarket parts (filters, plugs, exhaust).
I have driven a smart car (yes at 70+mph) for 9 months and find it accelerates well once you are already going 45 mph or higher. It is also quite “zippy” and is more agile than the other cars we own (Camry + minivan). I didn’t hesitate to drive it all winter in the northeast.
I have a smart car and I drive it on the freeway with no problems. I have no worries about being in one, at least no more than in our other cars, which are a Mazda 3 and a Subaru Forester. But because it is so small I do drive extra defensively. I don’t consider it a “rolling coffin,” rather, I try to avoid poor drivers like poster Greg Morgan and the person he hit. Even a big rig truck – which would vaporize your Cadillac Greg – can be a dangerous place for the driver if the cab flips or catches fire.
It may not be the car for everyone, but I like my Smart car – it gets 40 mpg consistently and it’s fun to drive.
I am a salesrep and have a very difficult time fitting my literature, samples and demo equipment in my 5 passenger SUV, I also travel northern MN and the Dakotas where the speed limit is posted at 75 so most people drive 80. My first question is room, I am using the entire trunk and backseat now and already need to upgrade to a midsize SUV, my second question is traction control, 4 wheel drive and weight. I can be on black ice with 60 mile per hour winds and they do not use salt on the roads in North Dakota. I drive 3000 plus miles per month so I also must have heated seats, a remote starter and I must be high off the ground with some real weight to the car due to the extreme winds in the plains. Can Obama’s new smart car plan accomplish all of this? I am not asking for much just safety so I can do my job
I’ve had a smart car in Europe for almost 10 years… I’ve driven everywhere… mountainous terrain, super highways…. wit big MAC Trucks at my side… no problems! They handle great, they’re safe…
I hate to tell you, but if you go 70mph in any car and target a wall for impact, you’re most likely not going to make it no matter what car you’re in!
Best advice, Stay away from walls! PERIOD!
Anthony
Tell me you can walk away from this.
http://beaglescout.wordpress.com/2009/05/24/cafe-standard-death-traps/
These cars are placing fuel economy ahead of safety.
my 20 year old daughter loved her smart car and she researched the car thoroughly before she bought it including the 70 mph crash test. She was killed July 2, 2009 while driving her smart car. She was hit head on by a utility truck going 55. She suffered fatal head trauma, broken led, broken ribs which punctured her lung and had 10 hours of brain surgery. She died shortly after. Please these cars are deadly pick a safer car by all means.
Thank you for the comment, Yvonne. I am sorry to hear about the loss of your daughter. I agree that these smaller cars are, indeed, significantly more dangerous. I cringe every time I watch my younger brother get on his motorcycle…
The car car itself is Ok it’s the drivers around them that make this car dangerous to be in. You have to drive defensively but it is hard to do when you are literally a rolling front seat. And on top of all that, the car is not even attractive. It is rather silly looking.
[...] on to post links to crash test videos of the little Mercedes/SWATCH “deathpod,” and an article on SMART safety, that indicates this city car wasn’t really intended for highway driving. On the other [...]
i agree, passenger safety has taken a backseat to fuel efficiency. and the people who drive these “smart” cars have a smugness about themselves. that they are somehow more evolved than we primitive people who drive anything that gets less than 30 mpg
can i just point out to the person who wrote this article that the the presenters from fifth gear do not say you would be unlikely to survive in the smart but in any car traveling at 70mph. the forces of the crash and stoping quickly from 70mph would most likely kill you in any car.
Remember that a 7mph full stop like this is equivalent to two cars hitting head on at 35 mph. Easy to do even in the city.
And forget about it if one of these is hit by even a small SUV. My kids will never get near one.
A couple points from an owner, who regularly takes his smart on the freeway . . .
-There are plenty of models that are statistically much more deadly than the smart. Why does no one make a big deal about those? What about all the SUV’s with incredibly weak roofs and a tendancy to roll? (I’ve seen this happen first hand). Not dissing SUV’s, just perplexed why no one makes as big a deal. What about older cars (pre 2000’s for example) that have far less technology to protect the occupants. No one goes around chastising people who drive older cars as people with a death wish, though they are more likely to die than a smart owner.
-The smart has ESC, which has been proven by MBZ and Honda to reduce the chances of getting into an accident in the 1st place by 30%. It is currently the cheapest car to have that feature, which is usually only available on luxury models. Luckily, some other up-coming affordable cars are also getting this as it gains popularity.
-I would not want to get in a head-on collision in any car. Even if two SUV’s hit head-on, the drivers are in mortal danger. Furthermore, a Smart being hit by a semi will have pretty much the same result for the driver as if he/she was in an Expedition.
-Head-on’s actually account for a tiny fraction of traffic fatalities in the US–the real killer is side collisions. The Smart gets the highest ratings on that test which, unlike the frontal test, includes the exact same object (a simulated SUV) T-boning the car at the same speed. The smart is safer in a side-collision than many SUV’s actually are, and the fact that the axles are so close together helps make that possible.
-So to sum it up: If I get in a headon my chances are slim in ANY car. in the more likely event that I get T-boned I’m as safe as I could be, and since the car does far better in evasive maneuvers than larger vehicles, I feel I’m in just as much danger as anyone else on the road from a real-world collision (except maybe those in brand-new Volvos). The statistics of driver deaths per model in the US so far back that up.
For those considering one of these Smarts cars or any very small cars. please consider a tecnologically advanced technology that provides great gas mileage like a hybrid or a diesel car and hasa reasonable about of room in the car and a crumple zone to help aborb impacts. A tiny car (low mass) with a tiny engine is not a technological advancement. Is it really that “smart” to drive a golf cart on a super highway. These cars may have a place where traffic speed is very low or there just isn’t that many other vehicles of size on the road. U.S. is really not a safe place for vehicles this small.
For those that already have one, don’t let a child ride in the car.
I purchased a smart car about 10 months ago and love it! I could have purchased another make and model, but I wanted something different, I drive it every day and enjoy every minute of it, I feel just as safe in my smart as I do any other car. As for driving it on the highway, I have no problems at all, I run it 70, 75 with no problems.
I can’t believe the number of folk that condemn the Smart car who have never even driven one, let alone owned one! I own one, and:
1. it easily cruises at the highest legal speed limit on the freeway: 75 mph, and gets up there quickly enough. I have no trouble merging onto a busy freeway.
2. if you hit a semi head on on the freeway, you’re going to die no matter what you are driving.
3. I get 43 combined, 52 mpg on the highway, regularly. I don’t know where the EPA got their figures.
4. Yup, it only carries two people, which is 97% or our driving. We have a larger car for when the need arises tot carry more people or more stuff.
5. I tfits easily in our small garage, is the least expensive convertible we could find, and is fully loaded for $19k. My wife and I Love it.
[...] Conroe Courier > Obituaries Archives > Houston Community Newspapers Online – News Around Town Is the Smart Car a Death-Trap? | Auto Transport Blog for National Transport LLC The FARS data shows those three cases: Case # 525, 3/28/2009 in Florida Case # 641, 7/29/2009 in [...]
It amazes me that all of the side chair engineers have opinions and expect it to carry weight. The bottom line is that the statistics and facts support their findings. And if you disagree then be consistent on how you determine which vehicles meet safety standards and not emotionally respond to how a vehicle looks.
[...] Somone in a SMART pulling out from a dead stop onto a highway. Get this ineresting take on them, Is the Smart Car a Death-Trap? | Auto Transport Blog for National Transport LLC That said, my take remains that in a large metropolitan area, they may be a great little car, out [...]
yvonne krause – I’m sorry for your loss however . . . Being hit head on by a large truck going 55mph your daughter would’ve had a slim chance of survival no matter what she was driving.
I’m surprised no one expected a smart car to go 70 mph, in germany i saw at least 15 on the autobahn going over 140 km/hr (which is 87 mi./hr if u were wondering), but i think this is a good lesson to not hit a concrete wall head-on
While in Rome we rented a SmartCar, we travelled south all the way to Matera. The car performance was great and no security issues, of course if you hit a truck going 140Km/hr on a hwy, the car would simply vanish, but so will any other sedan. I also drive a motorcycle and am a very defensive driver. Common sense people, pure common sense. Driving carefully is the name of the game.
Those that rips on the Smart car are just ignorant. I was one like that too. I thought it was a clown car. I thought it was a death trap. I thought it was a chick’s car because it was ‘cute’. Upon doing some research and taking it for a drive, I finally decided that it was the right car for us. A. At the time, gas was $4/gal B. I had a sedan where the backseat never got used C. We have an SUV in the family already. D. It was a lot more fun to drive than my 05 Nissan Maxima. E. Again, based on research, I’ve concluded that it was safe enough for me and my wife. Without the research, I would still be ignorant as some of the people on here.
My wife and I own one (as well as an E class) Mercedes and F350 Ford Superduty crew).
We researched it and love it.
If you drive as you should ( not talking on the phone,texting etc.) you have a better chance as defendive driver because of it’s agility and using the paddle shifters it’s quick.
Plenty of room inside and a ball to drive.
It’s America folks ~~~ chances are if you die in a car wreck it’s not the cars fault.
I have just one more unrelated thought for all the folks that want to be safe and don’t want kids in a Smart~~~ why aren’t seatbelts required in a schoolbus???? Just wondering
I don’t understand some of the rational of people on here. Your suggestion for us Smart owner to be safe is just to get a bigger car? Well where does it end? If I ditch my Smart and get a Camry and if I hit a Hummer straight on, I’m dead. If I buy a F150 and I hit a dump truck, I’m probably dead. Where does it all end? We all drive dump truck? Really people? Get the car that fits the purpose of your drive. It’s that simple. I use the Smart for 90% of my drives. Yet I see jackasses drive a Suburban by themselves. Tell me how wasteful that is? I am NOT going to just buy a bigger car so I can feel SAFE. That is the biggest pile of Crap I’ve ever heard. It’s the idiots that drives the SUV talking on the phone that scares me…..not the SUV itself.
There is someone in the comments who sadly lost her daughter while she was behind the wheel of a smart car. She said that a truck hit her head on at 55 mph. She was probably moving at a high speed as well, and if both cars hit each other at that speed – it’s a 110 mph impact. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a 5 star rated SUV, your chances of survival are reduced greatly.
Murphy: they have a place where traffic speed is very low? How you figure? They can get moving pretty quick… and i’ve had my car up to at least 85mph going down route 81 most of the way from eastern PA to western NC. about a 600 mile drive done overnight. And yea… it doesn’t accelerate like a Maserati… but who cares? Yea… “freeway” this, and “freeway” that…. A) If you come to a stop on an on-ramp when it’s all clear, you’re a freakin moron, and B) If you’re not a moron and have to come to a stop on an on-ramp, It’s probably because the freeway is already congested and not moving at it’s usual pace… at which point if you come to a stop at the END of the on-ramp, you’re still a moron.
I can’t believe that they’ve been in the US for the past 3 years and a couple months… and yet there are still people who don’t know jack about them, yet go about preaching as if they’re the ForTwo guru.
I got my Smart up to 110, but I wouldn’t suggest it for regular day to day driving, it is amazingly slow to accelerate.
Ok, in 2010 I was in my Ram 1500 going 84 on the interstate and hit the barriers. The side of my truck suffered the most damage but is still operable, it destroyed my windows which was and easy fix. The guy in-front of me, the reason I had to swerve and hit the side was in a “Smart Car” which was rolling uncontrollably because he tried to cut in-front of another smart car and hard corrected back into our lane. As he did his tire snagged something causing his tires to lock which caused him to fish tail sideways and roll. He rolled a total of 50 Ft. being part of the Military I threw my own injures on back burner to run to him to check on him. Upon pulling him out of the car I noticed the belts had locked up and cut into some of his arteries. when the medical examiner came said the external bleeding was not what killed the 32 year old man. No, it was the fact his body absorbed the crash since the car was not designed to absorb the impacts of a crash.. I still drive my truck everyday, and every few weeks I go to that mans grave. These cars are Dangerous and should be taken off the highways and roads. At the least have a safety test much like those for Motorcycles and have a special licence for it because of the safety concerns. My unit has banned Smart Cars at our barracks for the fact they are more dangerous than Bikes.