Thanks to Mike B. for sending this photograph (click the picture for a larger view). It illustrates very graphically why driving a smaller vehicle in US traffic isn't such a great idea.
I was a Sector Officer in the Civil Defence corps of a major South African city for several years, and also a volunteer medic with St. John Ambulance in that country. I've seen enough car wrecks to know that the smaller and lighter your vehicle, the more likely you are to suffer serious or fatal injury in a wreck.
Small cars may offer great fuel economy . . . but that's not the only consideration (or even the most important consideration) to take into account. As far as I'm concerned, safety's more important. I want a solid chassis under me and/or my loved ones, thank you very much, and enough metal to provide as much 'crumple zone' as possible. I'll pay the higher fuel bills for a larger vehicle without a second thought.
May God have mercy on the soul(s) of anyone caught in that vehicle at the moment of impact. For sure, the medics wouldn't have been able to do anything for them.
Peter
I've never directly seen one of these accidents, but this is what flashes through my mind every time I see one of those "Smart Cars" out and about in town. And yes, there are more than one of them on our little mountain- LANL personnel do love gadgets.
ReplyDeleteAs long as they were the biggest thing on the road, they'd be perfectly safe. However, obviously they are not.
ReplyDeleteJim
This is why I too prefer large vehicles. I drive a Chevy Equinox, and I'd love to have a Suburban! My husband drives a Civic and it makes me nervous. Especially when we're driving in a rural area where honkin'-huge farm trucks rule the roads.
ReplyDeleteThe driver did survive - only the half of the car that you can see from this side was totally crushed, it was not completely between the trucks.
ReplyDelete