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American cars are huge and unsafe, but automakers don't want the simple solution

jalopnik.com

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Re: American cars are huge and unsafe, but automakers don't want the simple solution

#111

Post by JoeAltmaier »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #106
resoluteteeth wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Large cars aren't inherently safer for passengers. They are only safer in collisions with other cars that are smaller, at the expense of the safety of the people in the smaller cars. Having an arms race where people buy bigger and bigger cars to be safer in collisions with other cars is really not ideal, because it doesn't improve overall automobile safety on a national level even just for drivers, and it hurts safet…

Isn't that just not true? Larger cars have steel cages, stronger supports, higher off the ground. Actual frames, steel shell and not aluminum.

And today we find, small cars are simply faking their safety test results: https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/27/business/daihatsu-japan-produ...

Re: American cars are huge and unsafe, but automakers don't want the simple solution

#112

Post by DoingIsLearning »

danielmarkbruce wrote: post #110
DoingIsLearning wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might want to read up on Clotaire Rapaile, who is the de facto father of the modern SUV and record margins per vehicle for american auto brands. One could argue quackery but this is C-level paying millions in consultancy fees quackery. "Rapaille no longer sees patients. He doesn't need to, because he's paid well to supply his insights to corporate America - and lives in baronial splendor outside of New York City.…

So he's the shrink for the car companies that go bankrupt.

Indeed yes, the ones that started the trend of oversizing pickup trucks and have the best selling models in US for the past 20 odd years.

Re: American cars are huge and unsafe, but automakers don't want the simple solution

#113

Post by tharne »

cozzyd wrote: post #60
tharne wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It really depends on the vehicle. Minivans are quite large and are some of the safest vehicles on the road.

I don't really pay attention to cars that much, but while I see utility vans all the time, I rarely see a minivan nowadays. But while minivans won't roll over, they also will almost certainly have longer stopping distances than a sedan.

They've really decreased in popularity. As far as I know there are only a handful of manufacturers even making minivans for the US market: Toyota, Kia, Chrysler, and Honda, and they each only offer a single model last I knew. I'm not sure why no one buys them anymore since from a practical standpoint they offer a lot more space and ergonomics when compared to most SUV's. My only guess in that people have a lot fewer kids these days.

Re: American cars are huge and unsafe, but automakers don't want the simple solution

#114

Post by CodeWriter23 »

burnte wrote: post #92
CodeWriter23 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's roughly the same size as a Gremlin at this point. And you misread what I wrote.

Cars the size of a Chevy Impala were never categorized as compact. The Gremlin is almost 3 feet shorter than an Impala.

Yep, you misread it again.

“Full size” now = “Compact” in the 80s

(Going by size)

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