Why I got out of a Yaris!

[CKaelin]

My other vehicle is a motorcycle so I consider my Yaris very safe!

Kind of unrelated but point being it's more the driver then the vehicle as far as safety goes. Just yesterday I was heading into town on rt 2 in Concord, MA. A woman in an escalade just put on her blinker and started merging me off the road. I was in the passing lane slowly passing her and apparenty in her blind spot or she just didn't look. I layed on the horn (whimpy Yaris horn) and she freaked the %&^% out! I gave her a friendly wave as I passed.. Damn huge SUVs!

[cleong]

The first mod I made on my car was to swap out the puny pippers for some proper loud horns.

[A-tron]

Get an air horn on that beast. Lol

[YarisFan007]

This is why I installed an ejection seat in mine... just like the jet fighters! : )

[Snappy]

And the front end is meant to crumple in an accident, and protect the passenger compartment. The real reinforcement is centered there. But I hate tailgaters, and I DO notice how little space there is between the rear seat passengers and the rear bumper. Rear-ended would suck!

[SpaceShot]

The best way not to be hurt by a hit is not to be there when it lands. My little Yaris is certainly more maneuverable than the small SUV I had before. I stand a better chance of swerving out of the way or stopping than before.

Where I grew up, there was a gravel pit operation on the south edge of town on the main 2 lane highway. NOTHING you can drive will survive the hit of a large truck load of gravel doing 40 Mph or more. A few bad accidents eventually prompted changing the caution lights and yield signs to full stop lights and signs.

You can be safer in a small car by always being alert while driving and learning to maneuver your vehicle with precision.

[RacerFreakXXX]

Originally Posted by SpaceShot

You can be safer in a small car by always being alert while driving and learning to maneuver your vehicle with precision.

Amen to that... lol

I think a rollcage would make me feel safer in a yaris, a nice huge one to be exact... rofl

[perfecto]

In the original video, the Yaris didn't have curtain airbags. That does make a difference in the survivability of the occupant.

I do agree, however, that the most important component is the driver. Defensive driving is key.

[firemachine69]

Originally Posted by RacerFreakXXX

Amen to that... lol

I think a rollcage would make me feel safer in a yaris, a nice huge one to be exact... rofl

A roll cage is statistically more dangerous without a helmet, FYI.

[RedStickHam]

My 2003 Hyundai Accent sedan got rear ended by a Dodge Ram pickup. He lost some trim off of his bumper, my car was totalled. I had back and neck pain, but at least I'm still in one piece.

[2009Toyotoad]

Actually we've had that rear end crash experience on March 21st 2006. My wifes 2006 Civic Hybrid was rearend by an older Yota Camry. The force of the crash as the Camry snowplowed under my wifes car drove her into a Pruis ahead of her causing a chain reaction for the next four cars ahead of her. The tow truck dragged our Civic Hybrid off the hood and Windshield of the Camry. The unlicensed teenage driver had minor cuts and some brusing from her shattered windshield. She was cited and ultimately ruled as 100% at fault for deciding to clean her side window while driving. (I'm not making that up. Its her response to the officer writing the report on scene)

The Civic Hybrid was totaled. Force of the impact sheared off the spare tire mounting bolt and drove the spare tire into the trunk lid with such force that the crumble points bent in an almost perfect circle where it had contacted the rim (bolt flanche) of the spare. Both motor mount were completely severed and the intake manifold was impacted into the firewall.

My wife suffered whiplash and was in PT for 6 or 7 months. Because our car was at a stop at the time of impact no air bags deployed. The coffee cup she was using ended up in the back seat, cup lid in the passenger seat, and coffee on the rear windsheild and sill... but the safety cage did its job well. other than a misaligned drivers door, no broken glass, no deformation of the A, B, or C pillars, no seat back failures, and no deformation of the floor pans.

According to the accident report the Camry's pre panic stop speed was between 65 and 50 MPH. No estimate of speed during the time of the braking skid. Posted speed is / was 45MPH.

Post script: I noted that the Honda fit in the video fair slightly better for the dummy occupants. No doubt because of the side curtain Airbags. Glad the 2009 Yaris has those.

[firemachine69]

Was your wife cited as 100% at fault, or the other driver?


And that's normal, I hope you fought it, it's easier to go after an insured motorist (your wife), as opposed to an uninsured teenager.

Let me tell you, if that were to EVER occur to me, the teenager would be lucky to walk away from that alive, I promise you...

[RacerFreakXXX]

I'd rather drive with a helmet and be safe then drive w/o a rollcage and die

wow... sorry to hear that. That's why when a cop asks what i was doing at the scene i say i was just driving and following the speed limit or doing what i was suppose to be doing. Cops are such dicks that if you say you were doing anything besides driving it's your fault.... even if you say i was scratching my face cuz you had an ich it's your fault.

I second that I would have fought that to the grave, if you are uninsured it's ultimately your fault. plus if they were doing 50 in a 45 legally it's their fault.

[ka0sx]

Originally Posted by slothman86

http://www.bofunk.com/video/1737/truck_vs_semi.html

http://www.break.com/usercontent/200...ck-697882.html

Yep something bigger will always take you out