intheburbs,
These comments by the uninformed proponents of the under 3,000 lb vehicles in crashes vividly demonstrates they do NOT understand simple physics and/or have never been to or seen an impact crash test between 6,000 lb to 8,000 lb vehicles and an under 3,000 lb vehicle. I had attended so many during my automotive engineering years! Also what happen when a 2-3 lb ball hits a 1 lb ball both taveling at the same speed or when on is stadnding still and the other is moving at 25 mph, 40 mph, 60 mph, or even 70 mph. Then double the speed for headon's! The kenetic energy in the 2-3 lb ball stops and reverses the equal motion of the 1 lb ball every time while the 2-3 lb ball only slows in it's continued forward progress. There's so much more to fatal injuries in a vehicle crash than just crushing of the body or ripping the extremities off, bleeding externally, etc. The human brain can only withstand X amount of concussion force or ripping force before internal bleeding is fatal and the same is true of the bodiy's blood vessels and internal organs. Passengers in the <3,000 lb vehicle do NOT even stand a chance! Crash rating numbers are only valid for a crash between like vehicles. Meaning you had better choose carefully what you are going to hit or what's going to hit you when in a smaller lighter production vehicle that ply's our roads!
For instance: Princess Diana in the rear seat in London England had her heart blood vessels ripped off her heart in an approx 70 mph crash with over 10 feet of crumple zones, the padded seat back, and the driver's body in front of her. Didn't help her a bit as she was killed. She had suffered NO other remotely fatal injuries what so ever!
So many have been lulled to sleep and even brainwashed!
Traffic deathes have mostly decreased by the making of our highway speed roads safer and with so many less crossroads on highways and Interstates. They also dropped bigtime when the national 55 mph speed limit was the law and where it was enforced.
