Yup. Costly.
Posted on 06/11/2009 6:52:45 AM PDT by Red in Blue PA
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Even a fender-bender in a fuel-efficient mini car can lead to thousands of dollars worth of repairs, the insurance industry found in new crash tests.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported Thursday that repairing damage to microcars in low-speed crashes of 3 to 6 miles per hour could cost anywhere from $474 to $3,701.
The Institute conducted low-speed crash tests on the front and back bumpers and the front and rear corners of seven 2009 model year mini cars that have become more widely available with rising fuel costs in recent years.
The Kia Rio racked up the most damage among the tiny cars, $3,701 in repairs to the full front bumper. In the four tests, the Rio averaged $2,705 in damages.
The Smart fortwo had the lowest average bill of $899 among the seven vehicles tested. In one test, damage to the rear corner of the fortwo cost $507. The Chevrolet Aveo had the second-lowest bill, an average of $1,155 in damages for the four tests.
Among the other vehicles tested, the Hyundai Accent averaged $2,123 in damages, the Honda Fit racked up $1,960 in repairs and the Toyota Yaris would have led to an average bill of $1,951. Tests to the bumpers of the Mini Cooper generated average damages of $1,637.
Institute senior vice president Joe Nolan said bumpers should be designed to protect vehicle parts such as grilles and headlights. Damages should cost less than the typical $500 insurance deductible for a collision, he said.
"When you reach $1,000 (in damages) the bumper isn't doing its job, and anything $1,500 or higher is egregious," Nolan said.
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
Crashes in micro-cars are bad for your health, too. But such sacrifices before the idol of Global Warming are demanded!
Not a problem. I rarely drive over 6 miles an hour anyway. /s
Yup. Costly.
People don’t have to worry about paying for crash repair over 30 mph because they’ll be dead.
Back in the early 70’s I had a economic professor walk into class and open with, “What ever happened to bumpers that bump?” He went on to explain that in his day (he was rather old), if you saw a buddy stopped at an intersection you could run into the rear of his car with yours and rocket him across the intersection because the bumpers were spring loaded and the cars didn’t weigh much.
And this is the reason I will drive my 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn Edition with a Hemi in the ground, and when it’s dead buy a Ford F150.
The truck is paid off, so no point in taking on a new bill now.
Bumpers? What bumpers?
Paul Shanklin is going to have to update his “In a Yugo” to “In a smartcar”.
I often see the word “Smart” on the back of those cars and just shake my head.
LOL! Was your prof. working in Disneyland?
“People don’t have to worry about paying for crash repair over 30 mph because they’ll be dead.”
Yup that’s right dead! Years ago, while driving my 1976 Olds 98, I was hit headon by a drunk driver who stole the Nissan he was driving. After the ambulance paramedics and EMT’s literally scraped him out of the midsize Nissan,they ran around looking for the driver of the other car. Obviously they expected the other driver to be laying somewhere injured. I stood and waved at them. That tank of a car saved my life!!
Fast forward to the Tomorrowland of the “greenies” and all these mini cars are on the roads of America. Unless suddenly all trucks, busses, and other regular vehicles are removed from the roads, the paramedics and EMT’s will be out of jobs. Morticians will have a boom in business. I for one will not put myself or my family in a tin can.
Small, light cars don't have to be dangerous, any more than 3-ton trucks are automatically "safe" just because of their mass. It's a matter of engineering.
My father-in-law was in a horrible head-on collision with a big delivery box truck. He was driving a Prius (and no, he's not a liberal - he's a red-meat conservative retired Army Airborne vet). The Prius, though obviously totalled, protected him exceptionally well and his worst injury was a fractured sternum from the impact with the airbag and steering column. I saw the wreckage, and the structural integrity of that car's passenger compartment is just incredible.
A couple years ago, driving my restored 82 Mercedes 240D, I rear-ended a late modal BMW at around 10 MPH. I did about $1800 damage to the BMW but there wasn't a scratch on my Benz. The reason being, in 82 Mercedes still used the big chrome bumpers but the BMW had the under-body bumpers, so there was paint damage and broken plastic pieces all over.
Why the insurance companies haven't been lobbying full-force againt the current car designs is beyond me. They have to be getting nickeled and dimed to death on their profits.
But, maybe it's not that big a problem.
WHen it comes to the politics of opposing these small car mandates, I propose we adopt the left’s slogan:
“No Blood for Oil!”
As Rush Limbaugh aptly describes them as “2 seaters lawn movers” to get 45mpg but I dont think that they can properly stand up to the side wind effect of when a 40 ft trailer flies pass you!! I can easily imagine that the tailwind of a trailer can cause you to lose control of the car or worse!!
But hey, they are doing their part to support the battle against GLOBAL WARMING; if only the Liar in Chief for that movement was driving that car then I’d be smiling but he drives nothing that give more than 8 MPG.
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