So does a bigger/heavier vehicle always mean better odds not getting hurt in accidents?

fast1968

I've always wondered about this if you have a bigger vehicle does that mean you have a better chance on a average to not get injured or at least not as injured ? For example I get in a frontal collusion with my Camry vs a corolla or Ford Ranger vs a F150 or a Accord vs a Grand marquis. Does the weight of the vehicle over the other vehicle almost always a plus ? Thanks

kyfdx

fast1968 said:

I've always wondered about this if you have a bigger vehicle does that mean you have a better chance on a average to not get injured or at least not as injured ? For example I get in a frontal collusion with my Camry vs a corolla or Ford Ranger vs a F150 or a Accord vs a Grand marquis. Does the weight of the vehicle over the other vehicle almost always a plus ? Thanks

Physics is in your favor, if you are in the heavier vehicle.

That said, safety features are important, too.

carboy21

Depends how heavy is the opposite vehicle you crash into

Newtons third law of conservation of momentum .

texases

Bigger is better, as long as other safety features are equal. There are plenty of test crash videos showing a modern midsize car crashing into an old ('50s-'60s) full size car, the passengers in the modern car would easily survive, unlike the ones in the old car. 

stever

If you considered a small car but ended up buying something larger, a reporter wants to talk with you. Please email [email protected] by Friday, 2/5/16 with a few words about your decision including the make and model that you chose.

Mr_Shiftright

Sure, physics favors you but the actual dynamics of an auto accident are very complex---you could, for instance, come out way ahead in a collision with the lighter car, but then something could fly through your windshield and you lose anyway.

Also the construction of the vehicle is important---some of the lightest cars in the world (race cars) are among the safest.

PF_Flyer

"The driver of the semi was not injured" seems to be used in news stories, unless another semi or train is involved.
Can't help the engineer in me... F is the same for both vehicles in a collision, so..

m(1)a(1) = m(2)a(2)

If your m is significantly smaller than their m, your a is going to be significantly larger than theirs.

Kinda like falling out of a plane. It's not the fall, it's the sudden stop (Earth has a BIG m relative to us)