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mnrick041 Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:14,321 Points:1,371,385 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 8:19:25 PM Ignore mnrick041 Report Abuse If you are driving a hybrid vehicle you have a 25% lower chance of being injured in a accident than if you are driving a non-Hybrid version of the same vehicle. The reason for this is the added weight of the Hybrid battery. A Hybrid will be about 10% heavier than a non Hybrid version of the same car. In a accident weight matters and the person in the lighter vehicle are subjected to higher crash forces. Same thing goes for Hybrids and Compacts. The Camry Hybrid gets same or better MPG than a Toyota Yaris but in a crash between the two, as demonstrated HERE the Yaris gets decimated by the Camry in a 40 MPH offset front end crash test. You do not have to sacrifice your safety in order to get better fuel economy. Safety consequences of driving a small car.

mnrick041

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Message Posted: Jan 12, 2013 8:19:25 PM

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If you are driving a hybrid vehicle you have a 25% lower chance of being injured in a accident than if you are driving a non-Hybrid version of the same vehicle.

The reason for this is the added weight of the Hybrid battery. A Hybrid will be about 10% heavier than a non Hybrid version of the same car. In a accident weight matters and the person in the lighter vehicle are subjected to higher crash forces.

Same thing goes for Hybrids and Compacts. The Camry Hybrid gets same or better MPG than a Toyota Yaris but in a crash between the two, as demonstrated HERE the Yaris gets decimated by the Camry in a 40 MPH offset front end crash test.

You do not have to sacrifice your safety in order to get better fuel economy.

Safety consequences of driving a small car.

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mnrick041 Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:14,321 Points:1,371,385 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Jan 16, 2013 1:03:48 PM Ignore mnrick041 Report Abuse "Hybrid drivers probably drive more carefully and slowly too, which would make for most of the 25%" They are not saying that Hybrids get into LESS crashes, they are saying that people driving Hybrids who get into crashes have less of a chance of being injured. Hybrid Vehicle Safety
probedude2 Champion Author Akron Posts:12,568 Points:2,383,130 Joined:Jun 2003	Message Posted: Jan 16, 2013 12:51:39 AM Ignore probedude2 Report Abuse Hybrid drivers probably drive more carefully and slowly too, which would make for most of the 25%
mnrick041 Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:14,321 Points:1,371,385 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Jan 15, 2013 8:28:28 PM Ignore mnrick041 Report Abuse Bigger is not always safer, there are various factors but you cannot repeal the laws of physics. If a bigger, heavier object hits a smaller lighter one the smaller one is usually going to fare worse. The size and weight of what you are driving compared to the size and weight of the vehicle you are colliding with are major factors. Modern vehicle design also plays a huge role. In this 2009 crash test a 2009 Malibu is tested against a 1959 Bel Air. The two cars are within 100 pounds of each other in weight but when watching the video you see that the Bel Air does not do so good, there is not much doubt that if there was a real person driving it he would be seriously injured or killed while the driver of the Malibu would do much better. But even with modern design you cannot beat the laws of physics, if you take the safest small car and crash it with something bigger and heavier with the same safety rating the occupants of the smaller car still are going to come out of it worse.
Trowinsamoan Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:1,173 Points:189,765 Joined:Nov 2012	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 6:36:11 PM Ignore Trowinsamoan Report Abuse Bigger the safer
14smoke Champion Author Birmingham Posts:13,209 Points:1,925,140 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 6:30:09 PM Ignore 14smoke Report Abuse Thanks for the info...however, when I am next in the market for a car, I can tell you that neither a hybrid nor a Yaris will be on the short list of cars I look into.
bearscharger Champion Author Cleveland Posts:1,337 Points:273,325 Joined:Aug 2012	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 6:12:23 PM Ignore bearscharger Report Abuse I'll stick to my big cars
WEPSMAN Champion Author South Dakota Posts:10,523 Points:2,026,425 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 5:38:41 PM Ignore WEPSMAN Report Abuse You do not sacrifice safety, just a little lighter in the checkbook if you can afford the hybrid.
jimmy544 Champion Author Boston Posts:4,133 Points:655,805 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 1:21:51 PM Ignore jimmy544 Report Abuse This is an outmoded idea you should look at some recent crash tests. There are some modern light cars that easily out perform older heavier cars and essentially use the heavier car as the crumple zone. The lighter car is much stronger using higher tensile strength steel. This idea is not borne out by statistics either. Fatalities and injuries have been falling for decades and are now lower than they were in the 1950s and numbers of cars and miles driven per car are far more than what they were then.
OceanArcher Champion Author Mississippi Posts:5,723 Points:1,331,300 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 1:14:18 PM Ignore OceanArcher Report Abuse Therein lies the basic reason why people still drive big/large/huge cars ..
Pugpal Champion Author Toronto Posts:2,061 Points:39,745 Joined:Jul 2005	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 12:09:47 PM Ignore Pugpal Report Abuse For sheer stopping power, I've always been partial to cement trucks.
gvan Champion Author Chicago Posts:21,557 Points:2,839,215 Joined:Dec 2004	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 11:55:47 AM Ignore gvan Report Abuse "If I could afford it, I'd drive a Sherman tank." Almost as good, a lot cheaper and street legal would be a Mack truck.
Pugpal Champion Author Toronto Posts:2,061 Points:39,745 Joined:Jul 2005	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 11:45:05 AM Ignore Pugpal Report Abuse Jes, got your point, but FWIW, the Sherman, while a decided asset to the Allied cause, had a reputation for catching on fire when hit. Link
bluenvoy Champion Author Nashville Posts:14,992 Points:1,878,840 Joined:Oct 2005	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 11:35:08 AM Ignore bluenvoy Report Abuse Some hybrids are tin cans on wheels while others are in real rides. Don't want the tin cans and won't pay the premium for the others.
jes Champion Author Pennsylvania Posts:16,180 Points:3,355,400 Joined:Jun 2003	Message Posted: Jan 13, 2013 8:58:47 AM Ignore jes Report Abuse That's the chance you take driving a small car. If I could afford it, I'd drive a Sherman tank.