Car safety
 

Hello,

I am not sure I am not alone on this one, but..

One of the main reasons why I bought the A8 was due to fact that it is Aluminium built and so it's pretty safe, compared to other similar steel cars.

However it is an 11 year old car, so are new cars a lot safer nowadays?

Also, why do people not ask or care about the safety record/features of their cars, when buying them?

Finally, one car I really admire is a Tesla S , again safety is good here.

Don't get me started on this ;). There's a *cough* surprising amount of stuff on here about that car - just try the search function ;)

Ok no worries, I understand and have read some. It is not all what it seems.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan - as you can see from my signature :D

Large deposit kills buying one on business hire.

Second hand prices are just under 50k, so will have to wait.

Recently, went to Hamburg and checked one out there and absolutely love it.

Btw, I don't fancy the cheaper model out later this year though.

True...but - based on what you've said in the other thread - you could buy it as a company asset (as I'd did...) then write the whole cost off in the year of purchase +++.

Though I must admit, a Model S costs a lot more (about 20% more) than when I got mine just over a year ago.

The Model 3 will be an interesting contrast, but won't arrive here till mid next year (at the earliest...)

Car safety as a consideration when buying an A or S8
 

Hi,

Sorry to drag this back from the Tessla discussion but yes, I bought an A8 with safety in mind (as well as the usual stuff +++ :ROFL:).

I believe my life was saved by an A4 I was driving doing a high speed lane-change on the M1 near the Meadowhalll turn off. I saw an object in lane 2, instinctively moved into lane 3 at some speed...). :tuttut:

A car hit the object, bounced into a truck then I accelerated hard out of the carnage. The accident was described by S.Y. police as the most serious non-fatal accident they had ever dealt with, lots of airbags saved lives, M1 shut behind me :-(.

So. Maybe any car would have moved "at the speed of thought" but would I have had the confidence to try?? :Confused: And the acceleration was tremendous, no "drop a gear, get to 6000 revs and she flys" or "the electronics will give you 4 wheel drive when you need it" crap.

I bought a permanent 4 wheel drive Audi with a torque abundant engine as soon as I could (the A4 was my good pal's). :love: :love:

Robert

I am sure I have not kind of money at the moment, as fairly new in contracting.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Regarding the huge deposit is that paid by the company?

Nice one mate, that is a very close experience, half a second difference.

I think it comes down to two things. 1. Human reaction times- I don't think that has changed.

2. Car safety. Speed, stability and that has changed over the years and is better, at least for the last 20 years ago.

Only thing, nobody wants the big cars, due to overall running costs, but surely safety should also be a big factor.

And yet, to some extent, especially in a head-on accident it's a case of survival of the biggest/heaviest.

That's why I've always preferred larger cars. It's simple physics; the bigger/heavier car will be slowed by the smaller/lighter car in a head-on accident but will continue in the direction it was going, lessening the forces that the impact exerts on the internal organs of the occupants. For the smaller/lighter car, the forces at play are worse than hitting an immovable object. The car changes direction in an instant, exerting huge forces on the occupants. It makes no difference if the small car has some sort of 'rigid safety cell' and a million airbags. Safety features such as those reduce external injuries but do nothing to lessen the extent of the (often fatal) internal injuries caused by the resulting g-forces.

Another thing about head-on accidents is that they're not always avoidable, no matter how carefully/safely you drive. You can never know if some idiot will be on your side of the road one day, while driving around a blind bend.



And that, is why I drive an 8! :)