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As a long time claims adjuster (stopped counting at 13,000 claims), I wanted to remark that I am very skeptic about crash ratings.
There are two types of crashes. Those that occur under strict & predictable conditions in a "lab" type setting and then there are the real ones that occur out on the highways and city streets.
The automakers know what the lab environment is and can prepare a vehicle for it in order to get a high crash rating and thereby boost sales.
But in the real world it's a completely different story. I used to keep a scrapbook of crahes that I found interesting. Sadly, it got stolen, but one of the things that I kept were low impact accidents that were odd, from a damage perspective. For example, when a Honda, Toyota, M-B... rear ends a Kia, Hyundai, Jeep, Range Rover the Honda... would have very little to no noticable damage but the others would be nearly obliterated. There was in particular when a Camry rear ended a Huyndai. The Camry had nary a scratch, but the Huyndai was a total loss as both QP's were accordianed and the rear floor pan was buckled... Same on t-bones, f/e hits... I also noticed that some vehicles rolled easy contrary to tests and others rolled pretty easy.
All this to say if you want to be safe in an accident, the better the brand name, the safer you (and yours) will be. That is an absolute constant I've seen in my years doing what I do (OK, insert joke here).
I think I would prefer the vehicle that is obliterated from the front or rear since, by design(?), the crumple zones absorb the impact force instead of transferring it to me. Who cars about the car, I want to walk away from the crash.
I think I would prefer the vehicle that is obliterated from the front or rear since, by design(?), the crumple zones absorb the impact force instead of transferring it to me. Who cars about the car, I want to walk away from the crash.
Of course, but we're talking vehicles that aren't supposed to do so and as a result people were very seriously injured in the crumpled up vehicle. I ought to know, I met them after their surgery.
I was rear-ended at a dead stop at a traffic light by an ARMORED TRUCK doing somewhere just under 45mph. (Speed limit in the area is 45. I know the truck had just started to brake a second or 2 before it hit me because I heard the squeeling, but didnt have much distance or time to slow much.) Had I been hit by a Honda I suspicion my odds may have been better...
My car took the impact very well. 07 Dodge Caliber. It was a hatchbatch mini-crossover type vehicle. The back hatch area took the entire impact up from the bumper. Totally destroyed the hatch. But nary not a single scratch on the side pillars next to the hatch-didnt even break the tail lights. Back hatch interior cargo area remained intact and didnt even buckle. Most of the glass from the hatch fell out onto the street, just a few stray pieces made their way into the cargo area.
In summary, driver (and occupants in the rear seat if there were any, I was alone) fared very well. The cabin area and cargo floor were not compromised at all. The vehicle was still drivable as the cops had me pull over out of the intersection. From the front and sides of the vehicle, you couldnt even tell it had been hit. My glass baking pan which was in the hatch (I had gone shopping and it was a Christmas gift) didn't break.
Unfortunately, given that it was such a heavy vehicle that hit me and that it ended up pushing my car right into the intersection (good thing oncoming traffic stopped or I also wouldve been front ended and t-boned at a 4 way)---->it did mess up the frame or something underneath. The vehicle was totalled.
Oh and when it was totalled, it had less than 3K on it. My brand new car that hadnt even had its first oil change yet...... :-(
Blazer, are Hondas and Toyotas generally the safest cars out there?
Based on my experience of real world accidents, I'd rate the safest vehicles thusly:
M-B
Honda/Acura
Toyota/Lexus
BMW
Infinity
Volvo gets a marginal yes
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