Are Tiny, Gas-Saving Cars Unsafe? Today Mine Saved My Life
I rolled my Toyota Yaris three times this morning after hitting a six-foot-high dirt embankment at highway speed. I crawled out with no more than a bump on my head, seat belt burn, and a massively stiff neck. So, for all you small car safety-doubters out there, I’ve now got personal experience to say otherwise.
Inevitably, whenever we post about small electric cars, funky three-wheelers, or any other small fuel-efficient vehicle here at Gas 2.0, we get typical responses along the lines of “It may get 60 mpg, but that thing’s a death trap,” or “It’s nice to drive electric, but would you trust that car to your family?”
After this morning’s shenanigans, I can unequivocally say “Yes. Yes I would trust my family to a small fuel-efficient car, and I’m miraculously alive and mostly uninjured… so no, it’s not a death trap.”
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My Yaris got 40 mpg and weighed less than half (35%) of a Chevy Suburban. From the outside it may not have looked very substantial, but it sure saved me on fuel costs. And, until today, I would have grudgingly agreed that it may not be as safe as driving a behemoth like the Suburban.
But now that my life has stopped flashing before my eyes, and I’ve had a chance to think, it is simply amazing that I walked away from that crash barely bleeding. I mean, just look at the remnants of my car.
In fact, after today, I think I fared better in my Yaris than I would have in a Suburban land yacht. Imagine how many times I would have flipped in the Suburban and the force of impact that would have come along with crashing a 6,447 pound car?
So, for everybody out there that’s using safety as an excuse to not go green, I must ask you to please take a look at that picture of my car and the wonder of how I walked away well enough to write this post the same day. Then try turning around and telling me that these upcoming small alternative cars aren’t safe simply because they’re small.
It’s more a matter of engineering, and, at least in Toyota’s case, those engineers are miracle-workers.
Editor’s note: This post was updated on October 22, at 8:00 am PST, to correct the curb weight of the Chevy Suburban from 8,600 lbs to 6,447 lbs. 8,600 lbs was the gross vehicle weight rating. 6,447 lbs is the weight of the heaviest Suburban — the 3/4 ton model with four wheel drive. My thanks to Ben Wojdyla, Associate Editor at Jalopnik.com, and the commenters on this post who pointed out that discrepancy.
Good to see you made it through - great post!
Why do people compare small cars to SUVs by default? Who cares? Small cars are incredibly dangerous when compared to a Mercedes S550 or BMW 750. No side airbags, no curtain airbags, no pre-collision system, no stability control, and not enough room for a truly proper crumple zone. I’m happy you’re okay, but that doesn’t mean your car is safe.
I’m gonna let you know, Nick, that everyone I know says the EXACT same thing about my impreza. I live in Texas. Land of the Bigger, the BETTER.
I have not been in a wreck in my Impreza, and, god willing, I never will. But, it is the best car that I have ever owned as far as safety goes. It can hug a turn like it’s glued to the road, which has actually helped me avoid a few accidents, including, at least 2 deer, and an idiot in an F 250 that pulled out in front of me when I had the green light.
So, not only do small cars save gas, they’re better performers, and they are safe, according to your Yaris experience.
High five, Nick
You have a lot of well-wishers, Nick. Allow mw to add mine. I’m glad you made it.
Cars truly have come a long way from the body-on-frame days when collisions like this usually brought a coroner, instead of an ambulance. I remember watching a Tennessee State Trooper film during driver’s ed, that showed gory pictures of decapitaion and such, as well as x-rays of chrome dash knobs embedded in skulls.
I guess the idea was to scare us into paying attention. It worked on me. I’ve been driving for over thirty-five years and have been behind the wheelfor only three wrecks, two were drunks pulling out in front of me and the third was due to black ice.
My parents were in a very bad car accident two weeks ago and the only thing that saved their lives was the fact they were in an SUV. They were struck from some asshole from behind going 120 and they were thrown off the road and rolled through the forest. After seeing the car afterwards and hearing the fire fighters reports; they said they were lucky to be alive and it is due to the fact they were in an SUV.
To say that all small cars are safe because a Yaris survived a car accident is a very immature statement. I love fuel efficient cars as much as anyone here, but please don’t make such misleading statements as that. Each car has different crash test ratings. Something like a Smart Car for example wont fare too well in a head on collision with some jerk in a Hummer.
Wow. Glad you re still with us, Nick.
Like others have said it depends on the accident, when I see how close the back seat is to the back window in some of these little cars there’s no way in hell you would get me in there. Talk about a death trap, ask my wife she was sitting at a red light when a landscaper truck with a trailer plowed into her Dam good thing she was in her Caddy.
Another data point:
A few weeks ago my daughter, who had been working too much overtime, fell asleep while driving home from work and rolled her Yaris at highway speed. She was pretty sore for a week or so but she did walk away from the accident with nothing worse than a broken toe, some seat belt bruises and an $11,000 bill from the ambulance, emergency room visit, X-rays and MRI that said she was OK.
In our household. We just ditched our last two SUV’s thank God, we’ll never own another SUV. We’ll stick to
small reliable cars, cars are more practical for city cruising on top of it you save lots of fuel. Let’s look to the future cowboy culture is far too old, let’s leave the the ugly truck for the farmer.
Get T-boned by a Suburban. Then post about it.
Oh wait, that might not work so well….