Is The Smart Car a Deathtrap?

The Smart Car, made by Daimler-Benz AG, is heckled often for being unsafe. In fact, it has picked up the title “deathtrap.” Critics say that if the Smart were in a crash, the car would collapse and kill the driver. Are they right? Or was the Smart Car designed with safety in mind, not just fuel economy?

Smart Cars all have very small crumple zones, front, back, and sides. The car has room for only two passengers. These help the car achieve a 40 MPG fuel economy. Because of the small crumple zones, the car needs to be very efficient at absorbing shock. The safety cage is made with high-strength steel, and has four airbags, two for each passenger. There is also a very high-tech seat belt system. It has sensors that measure out the length of the seat belt, to avoid putting too much pressure on the chest. This happens in a matter of milliseconds. 

Too avoid crashing, the Smart an anti-lock braking system, brake assist, Acceleration Skid Control, and more! For a full list of features, go to smart USA.

In addition to the neat safety features, the Smart Car has gotten a number of nice ratings. It has gotten five out of five for driver side impact, and four starts for a driver side impact. This was from an American test. The Euro NCAP Adult Occupant Protection gave the Smart a four out of five. 

The moral of this is, don’t trust everything you hear about, and check facts before believing them.

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