[quote=flu]
Yet another claim is that minicars are easier to maneuver, so their drivers can avoid crashes in the first place. Insurance claims experience says otherwise. The frequency of claims filed for crash damage is higher for mini 4-door cars than for midsize ones.[/quote]
I find the above to be questionable evidence in support of bigger cars are safer. Yes, smaller cars are involved in more accidents than larger cars, most likley due to the nature of those who drive smaller cars. Most smaller cars are marketed to younger drivers, and those drivers are more likly to get in an accident than older drivers, regardless of the vehicle they are in. If they told me that that the above was true for drivers between 16-24, that would be better evidence that the larger cars are infact safer, and I would appologize for my mistake of being incorrect.
The physics is unassiable. Being in a bigger car is safer than a smaller car when slammed into something. You have a greater force, and will move the other object more than you will move. This is better for big cars and worse for the small cars. Simple as that. It is kinda hard to disagree with this point.
However the physics is also on the side of the small car in stopping distance. A lighter car will have less mass, as is agreed then less force to stop, and will need less room to stop. So, a small car could avoid certain situtations that a larger vehicle could not. Nearly all the accidents I have been in anyway involved in or near or know of involved a breaking car unable to stop in the space allowed. I mean seriously, how often do people strap in and drive the wrong way on the freeway or something similar that would recreate this kinda carnage? I guess surface street driving could lead to something akin to this, but only if people are doing something illegal like running red lights or speeding and swerving across lanes like what happened up on the 79 where two racing cars killed a young mom. At that point we come back to the problem being the driver and not the vehicle.
But, just to be clear, I fully agree with the mountain of evidence that if you want to slam into something at a high rate of speed, bigger is better.
