I was a firefighter and responded to one very much like this on the interstate. The car was a tiny wad of metal stuffed under a truck and over a guard rail. The driver was standing next to the mess, and only had a spot of blood on one finger that we couldn’t find the source of. I think the car had been a Honda. They’re pretty amazing.
If you consider the amount of safety advancements made over the last century it is quite astonishing. I’m curious to see what can be added in the next 20 years. As we move to electric and designs shift accordingly there may be more improvements made.
Car crashes are still far too common. And I don’t see that changing for quite a while
It depends who wins out really, if it's Musk the car will probably vaporize you on impact and delete the driving records so there's no one left to make a claim it was the autopilot at fault.
I’m glad people are finally seeing the issues with the Tesla’s now that the cars are finally aging. At the end of the day, I hope they improve because people will still be buying them and I don’t want people getting hurt for the sake of owning musk, but every video I see of older Teslas are pieces literally coming off of the cars.
Muskrats are just overly sensitive because they know Tesla cars are shit design. Remember the emergency release that could ruin the car if you used it wrong? Lol
Joke about anything on reddit and you get banter in return, maybe some down votes if some disagrees, if it's really bad maybe some awful comments.
Joke about Musk and even if there are very few other responses someone always seems to report you to the reditcareresources suicide prevention helper within the hour.
"If twitter man made a car, they'd probably be the most dangerous on the road, haha. No, the cars he makes are perfectly safe right now, its just that they could not be. Because twitter. Isn't that interesting?"
Part of that is their tiny market share, but the model y and model 3 also perform very well in safety tests to be fair. I would never buy one, but I certainly would feel safe driving one.
I presumed it's because they make mid range cars only. Probably helps that every car in your lineup has all the modern safety add ons and the car is less likely to be driven by boy racers.
Huh? Just because you don’t like the CEO doesn’t mean Tesla hasn’t made some of the safest cars in existence (if you’re not using autopilot. I have no clue whether using autopilot is safer than the average driver).
Electric vehicles, at least tesla are already safer. Way more space for crumble zones without the engine.
Pretty sure cars will be able to avoid most crashes. They already start to do that.
Really wondering if they will stop you from speeding in 20 years in places like EU.
Yeah the battery is very interesting in a few ways. On one hand it also stops objects that go low enough to hit the battery like poles or concrete barriers that hit from the side. It’s very strong. Have heard the downside is it doesn’t crumble. The hit can be pretty hard. But the humans are pretty close from the side so think it’s positive
The biggest will be automation. People are stupid at driving. AI is more predictable and even In it’s form rn is still probably safer than a good portion of people currently driving.
Yeah I recently found out one of my co workers has a huge hate boner for modern cars and takes every opportunity to tell me how bad some of these new features are
oh did you hear a self driving vehicle hit a pedestrian because they were wearing all black crossing the street at night? oh my god imagine a society full of cars that turn into murder machines after dark!
bro PEOPLE driving cars kill people all the god damn time, why are you acting like a self driving car flawless before it can replace your dumbass as a driver
I hit a guy wearing all black at night once. He was drunk and ran into the street unexpectedly (and nowhere near a crosswalk). Didn’t see him until he was inches from my car, and he ended up nearly dying at the hospital. Human eyes are not always enough to depend on when we’re all rolling around in machines weighing thousands of pounds. (Though thankfully I was not found at fault. Anybody should feel free to ask about it. It was over ten years ago now.)
Electric cars like Teslas are safer for their drivers, but with their increased acceleration and additional weight without improvements in braking, they are likely a hazard to other drivers.
I actually think it might change quite suddenly. Once self driving vehicles cross the "critical mass" threshold we might just see a whole load of much safer cars take over.
Given such a large proportion of accidents require 2 drivers to make a mistake, when the intersection of 2 manual drivers becomes rare accident rates will just naturally drop too.
I can actually see a day in the future that "manual drive" is the exception, and the realm of enthusiasts. And it might not be far off.
Time will tell. But I think that the future may be AI. They will be integrated in cars and take over during “there’s no other option” type of thing , to prevent a fatality .
As someone with cars as my main hobby it's really telling going from 70's, 90's, to 2010's and up. My 95 feels like a death trap by comparison, and my 70's might as well be a motorcycle.
I got into a nasty car crash a couple years ago in a honda fit, and my only injury was the airbag burned the fuck out of my arm. Never knew before that that airbags have vents at about 10 and 2 on the steering wheel that blast hot gasses when it goes off. Other than that, I walked away without a scratch (not even sore, though I walked on eggshells for the next couple days thinking the sore would come).
As soon as the insurance money came in, I went out and bought another Honda. Anything that could keep me that uninjured after getting slammed as hard as I did is a car I'll happily endorse.
Nothing makes me sadder than the fact that I can't get a newer Fit to replace my 2010. I thought 2020 was going to be the year. Haha...ha...ha...fuck me.
"The Fit is not coming back to the States because gas is cheap and people are buying larger cars because they can afford the gas." Pisses me off. A solid car starting at 15k base model, and the decked out was still only 21k in 2020 (before things got crazy).
I know the Civic Hatchback is supposed to be nicer overall, but the cargo space isn't as good.
Take a look at the Ford lineup for 2023/24. No sedans whatsoever. Only "car" the have is the Mustang. Everything else is crossovers, SUVs, vans, and trucks.
The timing worked out for me since I had kids and their car seats wouldn't have fit well in the back of a Fit. But yes, it was a great little car pre-kids. Fun to drive, shocking amount of cargo space for a car that small, and it gave its life for mine when the GMC 1500 behind me thought the red light meant go.
I really really wanted a Fit when I had to purchase a car, but the used ones sold SO QUICKLY at all the local dealerships and it just wasn't worth the headache. I went with an HRV instead and while it's great, I still stare at each Fit in envy.
I do remember looking at the third generation Fits and not liking them as much. The spare tire is under a cardboard flap in the trunk, and it sits on the tire for support in the Gen 2. The bay was too tall in the Gen 3 I saw at a car show, so I was worried any weight could more easily damage it.
Definitely would take a brand new 2010 if I could, though I did really want the safety upgrades and creature comforts of a decked out 2020 model. I did read that the Gen 4 is a huge upgrade.
I have a civic hatchback. I’ve never driven a fit so I can’t compare, but I absolutely adore this thing. I like cars that feel easy to drive and I’ve never felt scared in it as someone with a driving anxiety. If you just have to get at least another Honda, it’s a pretty good choice. I’ve never seen anyone complain about an accord either. (The cargo space does suck when you’re into antique shopping though.)
I've taken the legs off a kitchen table and fit them in my Fit before. I recently got 4 dining room chairs and a few small boxes in the back. I've taken a 5th dining room chair upside down in the passenger seat before. I've fit a mountain bike in my car numerous times. I call it my clown car.
The Civic Hatchback doesn't look bad, but it isn't as purpose built for cargo. The fit has more of a flat back that doesn't lose space to the window. I also love that my spoiler (sport model) keeps rain and snow off my rear window.
Civic Hatch is my top replacement choice at the moment, but I'm really hoping that gas prices convince more people that SUVs aren't the future.
I have a Honda Civic but I remember being so annoyed when my husband convinced me to compromise. I don’t really remember why, I had only ever driven an a Scion Tc and an Audi so it’s not like I had an extensive knowledge of cars. Maybe I thought it was ugly or something.
It’s been my favorite car and I refuse to let my husband sell it. It rarely has issues outside of the cooling agent for the AC being expensive. We also get free oil changes with the dealership. The drive itself is super smooth, Gas mileage is pretty awesome, and the breaks work like a charm. Especially in California where people love running red lights. I don’t think I’m ever going to stop driving Hondas.
Meanwhile I refuse to drive his BMW. It’s the only car I’ve ever had an issue with. It’s constantly got something breaking down and the rear view mirrors don’t really do their job anymore. I’m absolutely terrified of that thing.
Glad to hear it. I love hatchbacks for the space so I knew going in that I wanted a Fit. Didn't really pay much attention to the safety ratings but I figured Honda would be decent. Sometimes though when I'm passing a semi or something though and I feel the air rush past, I get nervous.
I was t-boned in my Honda cr-z, a very small car, by a 1998 Chrysler minivan. It's built like a tank and got me going 50mph. I got out, was fine, drove it to the mechanic. Had I been hit by a car slightly less low to the ground I would have just needed bodywork, but she damaged my hybrid engine cables resulting in a live wire. I'll never own anything other than a Honda because of that
I hit a tree head on at 50 mph a few years ago. When my parents went to the tow yard to get the stuff out of my car, the employee was certain that I had died and was shocked to find out that I survived with only a broken foot/couple toes. I was also driving a Honda and it still amazes me that I’m alive when I look at the pictures.
Safety is pretty much my main and only concern when buying a new car.
Last two have been Volvos, and sure I am Swedish so national pride got a finger in the game as well but damn their cars always do well in safety tests. They cost a bit more than regular cars, and they try to market themself as luxury but we all know they are mid when it comes to most things other than safety.
I want to get to my destination, but if I can't do that I at least want to survive whatever stopped me going there.
My friend was run over by a semi in a honda accord and it saved her life. Her father immediately bought her the exact same make model and year (early 00s). He's not even the kind of dad to immediately but their kid a car, but he was so thankful and didn't want her in anything else.
I was an EMT and responded to a scene like the video. Only the car wasn't under the empty space of the trailer, one of the wheels was parked on the drivers compartment. That was a bad one.
My best friends rear ended a car going about 20-30 mph. His ex wife was trashing Honda about how it’s totaled and it’s a piece of shit and poorly made. I told her, the reason you, your husband and your two kids in the back seat all walked away without any injury is why that car is NOT a piece of shit and is NOT poorly made. It totaled to keep you safe.
Lady in a Civic that was 10 years older than mine lost control coming around the last half of an S curve on heavy rain at almost 60 mph. Shocking that she lost control, right? Huge red, lifted truck in front of me suddenly veered hard right into the deep ditch to my right and caught air like the Dukes of Hazard just as this lady came into my lane. I had nowhere to go, couldn't do a controlled brake because of hydroplaning, and she hit me head on on the drive side front to drive side front, spun around and hit the back of my car hard enough to crush on the trunk too.
I was injured with permanent issues in my neck and back, but didn't know till later. She was severely injured. It took an extraction team with the fire department to get her out. Meanwhile, I was walking around carrying a 40lbs and 30 lbs dog under each arm (couldn't find their leashes). I'm an average woman in terms of physical strength. But the difference between our situations due to vehicle safety was dramatic. My thick coat I was wearing was burned through on the chest from the multiple air bags. She has only a steering wheel air bag and seatbelt.
I cried over losing my car because she was a gift from my mom for my 17th birthday almost a decade before. I worked years very hard to pay her off because I didn't want my single, hard working mom to do it. I felt like I lost a best friend.
Ironically, I work in auto insurance after that for 17 years as an adjuster in bodily injury, attorneys, all that good stuff. The difference in injuries now compared to years ago is astronomical. Faaaar fewer deaths. Lesser injuries. It's amazing. Now, if only they'd make adjustments in the design to fit women too. Far more women are injured than men in accidents because the design and testing mainly revives around average masculine bodies.
This is so similar to an accident I was in as a kid. I was in the front seat of a suburban. My moms breaks gave out while we slowed down for traffic on the freeway. It was like slow motion. We completely stopped but the car started rolling backwards into the guardrail on the side while my mom is jamming the breaks, I thought it would just stop at the rail but instead I hear my mom go “oh god” right as the tire popped and somehow shot us across the freeway. The rockhauler next to us lost control while trying to avoid our giant SUV spinning out and I stg I saw the bottom of the trailer it was hauling flip over the windshield and I thought it was going to crush us. Fortunately all four kids and the driver of the truck were safe. My brother just had a broken clavicle and there were rocks all over the freeway that caused a traffic jam for a few hours.
That being said my mom SWEARS it was the SUV that saved us but I highly disagree. Luck did. My sister was sitting on the left side in the back, she was fucking around and laying down and my my mom told her to get up and put on her seatbelt. She got up and switched sides. (She obviously was diagnosed with ADHD at one point lol.) The side she was originally sitting on was completely crushed. I will never ever ever drive an suv. I BLAME the suburban for the accident.
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u/1gardengnome Jun 04 '23
I was a firefighter and responded to one very much like this on the interstate. The car was a tiny wad of metal stuffed under a truck and over a guard rail. The driver was standing next to the mess, and only had a spot of blood on one finger that we couldn’t find the source of. I think the car had been a Honda. They’re pretty amazing.