ABC News on Sub-Compact Safety

Shamus,

Excellent points. If we had more driver training here and the kinds of penalties for infractions like DUIs that much of Europe has, we’d probably be in a much better situation in this country sheet metal wise since safety would be percieved more as a public responsibility and less of one that must be personally protected.

I don’t want to completely jack the thread but the stats about the autobahn being safer per mile than the US interstate comes to mind in the same thought….

I sold MINIs for a few years, it was remarkable how many people would step out of an SUV, truck, or some other 2 ton beast for a test drive in a MINI and only use about 20-30% of the grip available even after being told to push it. Having to drive something with so little grip and stability like a truck or SUV on a public road should at least require more licensing if not cost exponentially more to operate.

Also I remember a friend telling me about spending time in residential areas in Germany where there were literally trees right in the middle of the road, on the edge of the lane (not with the massive curbs and dividers like we have here). There is also something to striping or narrowing lanes so that you feel like you are going faster than you actually are. These measures would have more of an impact on the SUV with Mom changing DVDs (as she struggles to stay within the lane) than you or I in a MINI.

I always try to remember this stuff whenever I hear someone bemoaning how driver’s are not benevolent or don’t think of others. Sometimes people just don’t pay attention. A little healthy fear and some optical illusions might do more than simply asking people to “slow down,” “pay attention,” or buy smaller cars. Hopefully we could change our roads to force people into making better decisions about how much control they have over a larger vehicle.

Best Regards, Matt