Oddly enough..... Some of the 4cyl. cars are SAFER than riding in your truck.

 

i haven't seen any proof of that yet. every accident that i see or read about in the news paper involving a pick-up truck and a car, the people in the car end up dead or in the hospital in serious condition and the people in the pick-up have minor injuries.

 

Lot of different factors contribute to that though. I have seen it go both ways....... generally, those with the better safety equipment come out better. Now, of course, a pickup truck vs. a neon.... we know who the victor is going to be. but, not every four cylinder car is a beer can with wheels.

Friend of mine tangled with a pickup truck..... everyone that was wearing their seatbelts, walked away. Everyone that was NOT, died. (in both vehicles.) Unfortunately, my friend was in the 'was not' category.

Cars, at one time.... were held to higher safety standards that trucks. Not sure if that is still the case today.... what with some of the trucks having a nicer ride than some cadilacs.

 

Volvo, Mercedes, BMW, or a Mercury Gran Marquis will protect occupants in a collision quite well. I'll take any of the first three all the way back to the 1960's against any pickup on the road today.

 

for the amount of money you have to spend to buy one of those types of vehicles it had better protect you when you get in an accident. most of the cars you see on the road are the cheap ones like Honda's, Hyundai's, Pontiac's and Chevy's.

 

Those companies are like all the rest, they have unsafe ****boxes too. Just depends on which style and model you get.

 

I really dont think any vehicle is that much safer than another, I think it has more to do with where they get hit and by what, if a ram 2500 gets in an accident with a honda civic yes the ram will most likely be the better off vehicle, because it has about triple the weight behind it.

Now if they both hit a pole I would rather be in that little civic less weight to stop and more time spent on safety, that ram with its extra weight does not matter to a pole all it will do is cause more damage and since there is not as much safety thought in our rams(if you dont believe me look at crash test studies).

 

I will always pick a frame vehicle over a uni-body, i have seen a lot more people walk away from their trucks when they hit hydro poles then little civics and other cars made from spit and tissue paper wrap around the pole, cut in have half or the pole in the driver seat. When watching crash test videos remember the barrier represents the same vehicle and speed or other vehicles with same weight and speed crashing into each other. crash test studies help but they don't help me cut good ratings vehicle apart to save dead people.

 

It depends on the vehicle. Check out the crash testing of the First Generation Dodge Durango. Too much of the cabin space is compromised and the driver's side wheel literally gets shoved into the driver's leg. Go old enough in cars (ladder frame style) that crashed into a pole and you'll see what the engine looks like when it's been shoved into the passenger cabin. My dad was an automotive engineer, and in the 1980's, while attending a car show of new models coming out, he explained to me how vehicles were being designed with deformation zones to protect occupants in a collision as well as how the engine would "dive" under the car.

I totaled my 2002 Cavalier due to a woman running a Stop sign. According to the crash data, the probability of my having a broken left ankle was high; however, because two vehicles collided at an off angle, each deformed in unique ways. The Cavalier held up quite well and protected me. Also, if you've seen boneyards with SUVs and pickups that have rolled over you'd probably change your mind regarding their safety, because I've seen too many where it is painfully obvious that the occupants were either severely injured or killed based on how much the roof collapsed.

 

Ten years ago....Tell me which one would you rather be in?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmiZOCqX2kk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCXWcrY-3V4

Today, I'd rather be in the Ram anyway.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKBDJ...eature=related