If you are in the market for a new car and safety ranks as your most important consideration over price or even over gas mileage then the following blog is dedicated to your search.
Even as gas prices soar the temptation to purchase a smaller vehicle in order to stretch an already squealing budget should be given a second or third look. Though there have been advances in vehicle construction and safety, small cars in general are more likely to provide the driver and passengers less overall protection in a catastrophic collision.
No matter how safe your own driving record is - you simply cannot account for the driving behaviors of everyone else on the road and that is usually the cause of most accidents - the other driver.
The fact is that smaller cars weigh less and it is this factor that often leads to more severe injuries in an accident - even if the other vehicle is a car of similar size and weight.
However, when a larger car or truck collides with yours injury results rise markedly. In a survey done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety the number of deaths that occur in small car collisions is 33% higher than in a mid-size car accident. Furthermore, the number of deaths in car and truck accidents drops significantly as the size and weight of the vehicle increases.
Finally, I myself am not an advocate of one car company or vehicle design over another. Rather I am an advocate of anything that keeps Americans safe on the roads.
Greg Baumgartner is a Houston auto accident lawyer and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping injury victims seek civil justice. For a free no obligation consultation with a personal injury lawyer in Houston call the Baumgartner firm.
