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While Smart Cars are definitely revered for their excellent fuel efficiency and their features, you should be completely familiar with crash test ratings, the safety level of the vehicle and the safety features that the vehicle offers before you make your final decision to buy. There are myriad websites offering crash test information for you to review.
Understanding the Smart Car Crash Test Rating
To understand what Smart Car crash test ratings reveal you must first understand how crash tests are rated. Usually, a crash test is rated with a number of 1 to 5 when considering the potential for injury in a frontal impact crash test. The lower the number that the crash test rating offers, the higher the chance that the driver and passenger will be injured in the event of an accident. A rating of “1” in a crash test involving frontal impact testing suggests that there is more than a 45 percent chance of injury. Higher numbers indicate a decreased risk of injury. A rating of “2” suggests that there is more than a 35 percent chance of injury; a rating of “3” suggests a 20 and 34 percent chance of injury; a rating of “4” is associated with an 11 to 20 percent change of injury; and a five star rating suggests that in a crash there is a 10 percent chance or lower of serious injury.
When it comes to side impact Smart Car crash tests, the tests reveal the potential for thoracic injury and pelvic injury. The ratings for the side impact Smart Car crash test are similar to frontal impact tests; the lower the numbers are the higher the chance of injury to the specified areas. A rating of “1” is associated with more than a 25 percent chance of injury in a side impact crash, and a rating of “2” is associated with 21 to 25 percent chance of injury. A side impact test score of “3” is associated with an 11 to a 20 percent chance of injury; a rating of “4” is associated with a 6 to 10 percent chance of injury, and a five star rating equals a chance of injury that is 5 percent or less.
There are some websites that don’t use a number rating or star rating to reveal Smart Car crash test results. Instead, they use a lettering system and color coded system to reveal the crash test results. Color codes might include green for good, yellow for acceptable, orange for marginal, and red for poor crash test results. There are also some websites that offer Smart Car crash test videos too so that you can see firsthand how the car handles in a frontal impact or side impact crash.
Websites with Smart Car Crash Test Information
Automotive.com®
Automotive.com® offers Smart Car crash test information for 2009 Smart Fortwo cars. The Smart Car crash test on the 2009 Smart Fortwo cars gets a four star rating for driver side protection, a three star rating for passenger side protection, and a five star safety rating for front occupant protection. The Smart Car crash test information on Automotive.com® reveals that the rear occupant safety level was not tested. The site also shares information about potential rollover safety levels, and potential injuries that can be caused in the event of a crash. For more details about the Smart Car crash test results offered by Automotive.com®, visit:
http://www.automotive.com/2009/12/.
MotorTrend.com®
MotorTrend.com® also supplies detailed Smart Car crash test reports. The details offered in the MotorTrend.com® Smart Car crash test reports include information on the crash ratings for the driver side, passenger side, and rear and front occupant testing. This test information on the 2009 Smart Car crash test reveals that the driver side frontal impact testing gets a four out of five star rating, the passenger side frontal impact test gets a three out of five rating, and the front occupant frontal Smart Car crash test gets a five out of five crash test rating. MotorTrend.com® also reveals information about head injury criterion, chest deceleration, femur load, and rollover resistance. For more information on the Smart Car crash test information supplied by MotorTrend.com® visit:
http://www.motortrend.com/cars/l.
More Websites with Smart Car Crash Tests and Information
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has conducted Smart Car crash tests that suggest that there are some problems with the vehicle’s safety levels. The size of the car alone makes it more hazardous in a crash and when Smart Car crash tests are compared to larger vehicles, the Smart Car crash tests reveal a higher rate of injury and a trebled chance of injury or fatality. While the smart is a great vehicle in terms of fuel economy, the smaller frame makes it so that the driver and passenger’s safety is compromised in 2007 crash test Smart Car reports. However, 2008 and 2009 Smart Car crash tests have illustrated an improvement over previous models; the institute suggests that after conducting extensive Smart Cart crash tests, the 2008 and 2009 Smart Car models have good frontal offset tests, good side impact tests, good roof strength, and good rear crash protection. The institute offers its test ratings with definitions of “good,” “acceptable,” “marginal,” and “poor” respectively.
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=632.
Progressive®
Progressive® Insurance offers Smart Car crash test information on their website as well as crash test information for other vehicles. The site not only offers Smart Car crash test information but there are also crash test videos on the site as well. The Progressive® website supplies information about the vehicle structure, the potential for head and neck injuries, the potential for leg and chest injuries, but it does not offering passenger Smart Car crash test information. The crash test Smart Car video offered on the site is supplied by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. For more details, visit Progressive® at:
http://www.progressive.com/vehicle-resources/.
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