Smart Americans Will Avoid the Smart Car

The Institute for Highway Safety gave the 2008 Smart Car ForTwo the highest rating in front-end and side-impact testing. Would that make you feel safe in a Smart Car? Not if you do more than glance at the headlines. That rating is based on how well the Smart Car did against cars that are comparable in size and weight. That's a pretty limited field. When my Ford Explorer meets your Smart Car head-on you won't feel so smart. Sure you got to the crash point using less gas then me, so what!

It's not just about how it does in a crash either. The Smart Car is only eight feet eight inches long. It's more difficult to see in traffic. If you aren't seen in your Smart Car you are more likely to be in an accident. Just look at the comparison of motorcycles to cars. The Motor Cycle Safety Foundation reports that "Motorcycle fatalities represent approximately five percent of all highway fatalities each year, yet motorcycles represent just two percent of all registered vehicles in the United States."

The convenience of the Smart Car is limited. This isn't Europe with narrow crowded streets and well laid out public transportation between cities. This is wide open America with long distance driving on roads full of large cars, SUVs and long haul trucks. The Smart Car may sound smart until you get in one on these roads. There may be uses for the Smart Car in cities for short trips and when parking is limited but better alternatives may already exists such as taxi's and subway systems.

The Smart Car gets good gas mileage. It's rated at 33 mpg city and 41 mpg highway by the EPA. Good solid numbers. Its cost is in the area of $11,500 to $16,590. Compare the Smart Car's price to that of an SUV and it is a low price, but you can get a real car for that. A Honda Civic is in that price range with EPA ratings of 25 mpg city/36 mpg highway and is six feet longer.