| moltuae |
24th April 2017 03:51 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adrian E
(Post 127068)
Bigger does generally equate to better in an impact, but there's always something bigger and heavier with which you can impact! Think HGV or bridge parapet as examples. EuroNCAP themselves say you should only use their ratings to compare across similar sized vehicles, as the offset deformable barrier test replicates an impact with an identical vehicle, which is far more relevant in most cases than the solid concrete block of old which resulted in vehicles that passed that requirement falling to bits when confronted by another vehicle with a mix of solid and soft parts to interact with. You can make a car very stiff and limit intrusion that way, but the occupants will then experience higher HIC readings and other biomechanical injuries that will result in a less bent car, but very poorly occupants. Think original Smart car as an example, where there simply isn't space to do anything other than make it really stiff.
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That is the problem with EuroNCAP tests, driving into an immovable concrete block doesn't really provide any indication of how the vehicle will fare in a head-on collision, except, as you say, with a vehicle of identical weight.
I don't have the statistics, but I would image a lot of the more severe or fatal accidents are head-on. Motorway design is such that it's quite difficult to hit something as immovable as a bridge or concrete block at high speed; side-on collisions with barriers or traffic going in the same direction are more likely. By contrast, on A roads that have no central barrier, 2 vehicles travelling in opposite directions at just 50mph will have a combined impact speed of 100mph. This of course isn't equivalent to hitting an immovable object at 100mph (rather, hitting a stationary vehicle at 100mph), but the forces worsen greatly for the lighter of the two vehicles.
Also, as I said earlier, there's the matter of being in control of ones own destiny. If I'm a good driver I can most likely avoid a lot of EuroNCAP type accidents. The same can't be said for potentially fatal head-on collisions, for which you may get little time to react.
Of course by reasoning that bigger/heavier is better, I should ideally drive a tank or a truck, but of course there's a practicality compromise to make. For me an 8 is a very good compromise, especially considering the vehicle I'm more likely to meet head-on around a blind-bend is probably going to be a small one, driven by an inexperienced, over-enthusiastic driver. Vehicles larger/heavier than my 8 are probably not just less likely to be on the wrong side of the road but also likely to be taller (and therefore visible sooner) and travelling more slowly. In which case, the fact that the 8 is still light enough to be fast and agile, would hopefully help to get me out of trouble. |
