When I went to Germany last year I saw my first SMART car, a car which is approximately half the size of the average vehicle seen in the United States. I couldn’t help but pose for a picture next to this yellow and black “tiny” car. One of the first things I noticed while visiting Germany is there really are no big vehicles on the road. It was almost impossible for my family to rent a mini van because they are so limited and the garbage trucks are just about the largest truck around. It is hard to find an SUV or truck anywhere. So, maybe it would be ok to drive a SMART car in Europe because if you get in a car accident you most likely won’t be up against a huge SUV or lifted truck.
To my surprise at the beginning of 2009 I saw someone driving the SMART car here in Arizona. Is this SMART? I rationalized it in Europe, but not sure about how it would hold up in the United States. I couldn’t help but think of the serious injuriesthe SMART car driver would receive if they got in an accident with a semi truck. I did some research and found the SMART car dimensions are:
8.8 Feet long (you can fit two SMART cars in an average parking space)
5.1 Feet tall (has as much headroom as most luxury vehicles)
5.1 Feet wide (it’s as wide as it is tall!)
SMART car representatives defend the car by saying, “The car’s body is designed to keep the occupant space intact while everything else, from the bumpers to the engine bay, absorbs the impact. Standard front- and side-impact airbags, as well as antilock brakes and an electronic stability system, are there to provide additional safety”. “The car’s small size could also help it avoid crashes altogether”, Smart USA president Dave Schembri said. He pointed to the car’s agility: “Maybe small could even be safer.”
Rader, one of the SMART cars critics states, “The bottom line is, you can’t repeal the laws of physics, you can have all the airbags and all the safety features that currently exist, but you can never make a small car as safe as a bigger, heavier one.”
The SMART car is becoming more common, and although it is small, it is easy to spot on the road. They range in price from $11,990 to $20,990 and their top speed is 90 mph. This little car gets 33 city/41 highway mpg according to 2009 EPA standards. And passes all required car crash safety regulations.
Is the SMART car smart? Let’s just say I’d rather be driving in a big car!
Video of SMART car crash test: Watch video
Sites:
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2007/01/more_on_smart_c.html