Do you know the safety rating of your vehicle?

[SaoirseS]

Work car after head on collision yesterday.

All air bags deployed, and yes I left the key in.

I never paid much attention to things like safety ratings until after the wreck I had yesterday. Safety engineering matters. Fortunately, I walked away from this disaster after a high speed head-on collision. I was banged up and bruised, but nothing broken and no internal injuries. The two occupants of the other vehicle were taken by ambulance to the local trauma center and were admitted with some broken bones and other injuries, but I'm told they will recover.

[DCooper]

A couple of them are probably pretty good. They have air bags. The other three probably not great. Hell I doubt safety ratings even existed before shoulder belts were standard equipment, lol.

A nasty head-on like that in any of my old classics would be very very bad, if not fatal.

[SaoirseS]

We still have a 1960 Ford Fairlane hearse with three on the column, and it still gets used once in a while. I like the dimmer switch on the floorboard. I wouldn't want to get in a head on collision in it though; I'd probably end up impaled on the steering column, or end up with the engine cutting me in half.

[OddBeMe]

ouch. I mean most cars after 2000 would probably not kill you in a crash if you're wearing a seat belt. even recalls aren't that big a deal. good to keep track, but don't lose sleep.

[SaoirseS]

I think you're right. Safety ratings aren't things I ever considered with work or personal vehicles. I make a lot of assumptions I probably shouldn't make about vehicles, or don't give much thought about some features. Definitely agree about seat belts. No matter how good the safety features, getting ejected from a vehicle is more often than not fatal. I've seen enough grisly accident aftermaths on our tables.

[OddBeMe]

Its always good to read reviews of cars you're gonna buy. But recent cars have been crash tested from here to eternity. If you look up car deaths, majority is seatbelts or some other human error. Thats why auto driving cars would save more lives if we could accept it.

[Sarahplus2]

I don't. Have you ever seen the crash test on YouTube of the old Ford pinto? You should check that out. It's scary they sold those.

[SaoirseS]

I haven't seen the videos, but I've heard the stories and seen videos of the 1965-66 Mustang fire safety issues. Pretty startling. Funny thing is we have a 1960 Ford Fairlane hearse that still gets used from time to time. It's a lot of metal and feels like you're driving a tank, but in a head on collision it turns the vehicle into a steel casket. Had I been driving that thing at the time, the chances of surviving a collision that violent would have been about zero. Old cars may be fun and nostalgic, but when it comes to safety engineering, the newer the better.

[Sarahplus2]

The newer cars take the impact for your safety. Thats why they seem to crunch up more

[dustybiker]

😱 I’m so very glad you are (all) okay.

Yes, I do know them. I’m a nerd that over-researches things I buy, etc.

[SaoirseS]

So is my husband. It's certainly not a bad idea, and now that I've had the experience, it will be something I look at in the future.

[dustybiker]

It looks like your car did it’s job. It kept you safe. Maybe keep that one in mind.

[SaoirseS]

Definitely going to consider replacing it with the same make/model!

[dustybiker]

Did you narrow down your choices of vehicles yet?

Thanks for the mhg.

[love_conquers_lust]

Crumple zone did it’s job. But holy shit. I think like only a handful of manufacturers make the air bags for most vehicles. I remember having to wait two years for a recall on the bag canister. It was reported to be shattering like shrapnel upon deployment right into the face of the driver/passenger. Hooe that wasn’t an issue here.

[SaoirseS]

No, it wasn't an issue. It smelled like a few spent shotshells right afterwards, presumably from the propellant used to deploy the airbags. Other than cornstarch or whatever they use to keep the packed bags from dry rotting, no issues with them.

[Still-alive]

Holy… wow! Im glad you’re safe! You weren’t at fault right? That vehicle looks like its gonna be a total loss too.

i was in a pretty bad accident myself back in march. Lost my previous car and had to save up for the one im driving now which is a prius. Not sure what the exact safety rating is on those but i think they are fairly safe cars

[SaoirseS]

No, I wasn't at fault. A couple of teens decided to pass on a hill and way too fast. The driver of the car they passed slowed way down to give them room to get back over, but for whatever reason they stayed on the wrong side of the road. Oh yeah, it's totaled. Insurance adjuster went out this morning early to look at it. I filed a claim on the phone last night, but they had to send an adjuster out this morning to verify VIN and take their own pics.

[Still-alive]

That sucks. Friggin teenagers.

In my case though it was a drunk driver at night.

Did yours happen during the day or night?

[SaoirseS]

It was in the afternoon. Highway patrol said there might have been alcohol involved and said they would test the driver at the hospital. I know they were knuckleheads, but hope they get better soon.

[Still-alive]

Ok good. in my opinion i feel its much worse to have a terrible accident at night. It’s difficult to see everything, you’re likely very tired and just wanna go home but you can't.

[Staximus]

I drive a Suburban because I will be fine in a crash against against anything smaller, which is most vehicles on the road. People ask me if I care about the gas mileage but I don't, because I'm surrounded by more idiot drivers than almost any other place in the world

[SaoirseS]

We have Suburbans in our fleet, and I love them. They do have an appetite for fuel though.

[Anonymous]

Glad you’re okay. 👍 Even though you didn’t get seriously injured you may be sore for a few days just from being hit and shook around in the vehicle. Stay safe out there and I hope you’re able to bounce back from this physically and financially.

[SaoirseS]

Thanks! I have a seat belt bruise all the way across my front and bruises on my hips. But yep, ER checked me over for broken bones, internal injuries, concussions, etc. and said I was likely going to feel like I'd been shit at and hit for a few days. I had to go to the airport to pick up a visitor coming in from overseas later in the evening and felt like crap, but it was bearable after a couple of Tylenol. ER doc gave me an envelope with strong meds for pain if I needed them. I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep because of pain and discomfort, so I took one of them and it knocked me out the rest of the night. I'm definitely better today. Thanks.

[NathanDavis]

glad to see you are safe, and yes... while I don't really know precise ratings on safety, airbags are a must definitely check and have, for me

[SaoirseS]

Honestly I never gave safety ratings much thought. Like a lot of others, I focus more on things like features, price, mpg, reliability, number of free oil changes (lol), etc. My husband studies things like safety as well. I realize higher safety numbers (or stars) are no guarantee of survival or freedom from serious injury, but looking at them after the collision they seem to matter some. The car I was driving has a high safety rating, the one who crashed into me is down at the low end of the safety rating. I walked away from the scene on my own power, they left by ambulance. Guess there may be something to it.

[NathanDavis]

yes, there is definitely a lot of actual importance into those numbers...

most modern cars are built to be "totalled" in order to absorb the impact and shock of the forces and saving our lives in the process, and then they go about it by the odds of most circumstances

for example... if it had been a bigger accident, involving multiple cars and collisions, it could have been gone differently but anyway

please keep track of the next days for any headaches and neck pain because sometimes, some little issues start to show up on the days later and go to a second evaluation in few days even if you do not feel like you need it or they didn't suggest/order for it

[SaoirseS]

Thanks :-) The trauma center made an appointment for me to be re-evaluated five days after the accident, and told me to come back sooner if I experienced any issues other than soreness. So Thursday it's back I go!

[EnglishEuropean]

So in the UK we go by the Euro NCAP ratings. However the ratings keep getting tougher so my car, which was rated 4 stars when it was new, might be only like 2 or 3 now.

NCAP ratings are the highest standard in the world.

[EnglishEuropean]

Sorry to hear about your accident, glad you're okay.

[SaoirseS]

Thanks. I'm ok, but in places I don't look okay. I look like I came out on the wrong end of a street fight lol.

[EnglishEuropean]

Your car held up pretty well. Crumple zones crumpled nicely, passenger compartment held up pretty well.

[Pudsmucker]

Glad you're okay after the accident. I bought years ago a brand new 2016 Subaru Forester. It has the highest rating in vehicle safety. It's a great car I love it. Gets around great on inclement weather.

[SaoirseS]

Great vehicle from what I hear. My husband just bought a 2022 Subaru Outback last week, and said safety rating was one of his main considerations for choosing it. Ding dong his Jeep is gone (Jeep: Just Empty Every Pocket). What a money pit that thing was.

[Pudsmucker]

I'm not fond of Jeeps either. You'll love your outback. What year did you get. I love mine I have two cruise control settings. Subaru has Driver Assist, symmetric all-wheel drive. And many more items. I found my Subaru was very helpful one winter when when we had an unexpected snowfall of 18 in. Well everybody else was pushing and swerving and bumping into each other I was able to arrive home safely without any mishaps of going off the road or getting stuck. That car moved through deep snow. It is also good for children too the car's got to build in roll bar. And six airbags. Hope you enjoy yours.

[SaoirseS]

Husband bought a 2022 Outback. The only time I've ridden in it was when he came to the accident scene and picked me up, then we went to the airport to pick up an incoming visitor that evening. Nice car. It's his baby, and hopefully more reliable and less costly for upkeep than that dumb Jeep he was driving. So far he loves it, and loves bells and whistles. He's a hopeless techno nerd.

[slatyb]

Honda CR-X. Very safe, and the automated systems make it even safer: automatic emergency braking, backup camera that works well in the dark, audible lane change warning, adaptable cruise control automatically handles stop-and-go traffic.

[Staximus]

It's a CR-V, CRX is a fucking death trap

[slatyb]

@Staximus Of course you are correct. I didn't even know there was a CR-X.

[Staximus]

Yeah my friend used to have one, they are tiny

[Redstang88]

No, but it’s an 8500lb truck so it’s gonna win against anything other than a semi

[SaoirseS]

That'll do it!

[Lenell]

No one has ever died in a single car accident in a volvo 740.

[SaoirseS]

Interesting, I did not know that. My mom drove one for years and loved hers. The only problem was my Japanese-born and raised mother kept saying she drove a "vulva" or that she liked her vulva. I repeatedly reminded her that a vulva is not a car made in Sweden, it was entirely something else.

[dustybiker]

@SaoirseS lmao

[WhiteBoyChill]

How do you manage to crash a vehicle like that? Seriously.

Maybe don’t text and drive next time because you could’ve killed somebody

[SaoirseS]

I wasn’t texting and driving. The other driver was passing on a hill at a high rate of speed.

[WhiteBoyChill]

Gee well I’m surprised that guy isn’t in jail by now! Its common sense to know not to pass a car when you can’t fcking see what’s on the other side

[SaoirseS]

Common sense is sometimes uncommon in teenagers.

[WhiteBoyChill]

So how was the other guy?

[SaoirseS]

The teen driver and his teen friend are in the hospital and will be for a while. The driver had a concussion and several broken bones and some other unspecified injuries. The driver’s dad (vehicle owner) just gave a general response and didn’t seem to want to give me a lot of detail, and I didn’t press it. They will both recover though.

[WhiteBoyChill]

So they had to be medically evacuated but you were able to get out of the car mostly unharmed?

[SaoirseS]

Yep.

[WhiteBoyChill]

Crazy stuff. I guess their car had a noticeable difference in safety features

[msc545]

I am very thankful you are still with us and were not badly injured.

[SaoirseS]

Me too!

[HighValue]

I have a Nissan Versa and it got 4 out of 5 stars for its safety rating.

[exitseven]

I have no idea but imagine it is pretty good.

[RandomGuy1030]

Damn girl thats a close call. No i dont drive a car yet

[Avicenna]

I sure don't. Thanks for pointing this out.

[Fireguy17]

Yes, 5 star all around.

[pizzalovershouse]

Great question yes it's an old pick up

[jimmy2]

I would be afraid to ask

[Danny_dan92]

Safe