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.
Andy,
And all future commenters who ask this question: I didn’t include the how, why or opinion about fault in my post for a reason, so I certainly won’t do it now. That’s something for my close friends, family and lawyer. But suffice it to say that just because only one car gets banged up in a wreck, it doesn’t mean that another car wasn’t involved. I also want to say that I believe in karma, and think that what goes around comes around.
Think of how many times you WOULDN’T have rolled in a REAL car!
So, basically, you’re a bad driver (rolling your car with, apparently, no other vehicles involved) *and* you make incorrect assumptions both before *and* after your wreck.
It’s all about momentum, and when two vehicles collide at equal speeds, the larger one has more of it. These generalizations of yours are getting you nowhere.
Before you think I’m defending the “evil SUV”, let me state that I commute by motorcycle on a daily, year-round basis. I’m keenly aware of the risks of being the smaller vehicle, and of the benefits of energy-absorbing protection.
Unfortunately, when I see a person flip-flop between two incorrect generalizations, I get annoyed.
Jeff,
I get annoyed when people make assumptions without prior knowledge. Look at my response to Andy about why I didn’t include info on other drivers that may or may not have been involved.
My accident didn’t involve two vehicles colliding, it involved me hitting a stationary object. In the particular accident I was involved in, my conclusions are fair. I didn’t bring up other types of accidents because I have no personal experience with those.
Hitting a stationary object with a small car releases much less force of impact than with a large car.
Take care of your neck, buddy! I know from personal experience that the second and third days are much worse than the first day.
Get some good care, and hopefully you’ll be perfectly all right. I didn’t, and I’ve had neck issues for 15 years.
“Imagine how many times I would have flipped in the Suburban and the force of impact that would have come along with crashing an 8600 pound car?”
What Suburban weighs 8600 pounds? That may be the Gross Vehicle Weight (the total weight the vehicle can pull including itself, it’s cargo, and any trailers) you’re thinking of.
Actual weight of a 1972 Chevrolet Suburban 3/4ton is 4350lbs (http://books.google.com/books?id=aBuk7dJWq2YC&pg=PA164&lpg=PA164&dq=1972+suburban+specs+gvw&source=web&ots=kRmCXotW8Z&sig=yIh5SuYot9G1gknVS-OAMJyLUXM&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA183,M1).
Weight of your Yaris is 2300lbs (http://autos.yahoo.com/toyota_yaris_sedan_5_spd_mt-specs/?p=ext).
So your Yaris was actually only half of a Suburban! Quit trying to say “Oh, I’m so green! I drive a much smaller car than you do, therefore I am a better person.”
Though now that it is smashed up, your original statement may be accurate.
@cmanjohn,
No, he’s alive because of the car. It was smashed up because that’s what it’s designed to do - crush horribly everywhere except the passenger compartment. Look at the cockpit - almost completely undeformed. The killing energy went into the bumper, the front subframe and the trunk. Look at the frame under the doors - it’s straight! I’ll bet the doors still open.
An absolute marvel of engineering. If that had been a 65 Mustang they’d still be pulling his body parts out of the bushes.
Sure your car survived that roll over, but if you had hit one of those bigger, gas guzzling cars you would be done, the bigger car would have simply demolished yours.
Your car is by no means unsafe in a collision with the embankment or another small car, but it is unsafe if it hit, or was hit by a big SUV or truck.
thank God, not your car, man…
Holy crap man! I glad to see you walked away from that with minor injuries. I have a Yaris myself and it’s always reassuring to see that someone can walk away from an accident like that. (This is also, btw, the second time I’ve heard of a Toyota being rolled multiple times and the driver walking away with basically no injuries, though, the other was a Corolla)
-Adam