US NEWS美國新聞:撞擊測試背後的真話

撞擊測試告訴了我們甚麼?
其中一段節錄告訴我們.
撞擊測試不代表一切,物理原理告訴我們,較大,較重的車在車禍中,比起較輕,較低矮小的車有較好的保護.在嚴重的車禍中,小車車室的空間結構更佔了很重要的因素,較大/重的車比起小車更有保護性.小車撞測試驗優等不代表他和大車撞測優等是一樣的安全,奉勸大家在經濟能負擔的狀況下去買較大,高,重的汽車......
Beyond the Crash Tests
Crash test performance isn’t everything. Basic laws of physics dictate that larger, heavier cars hold up better in accidents than lighter, lower ones do. A strong crash structure that maintains the space inside the passenger compartment is more important in smaller cars. “Bigger, heavier vehicles are more protective in crashes than smaller, lighter ones,” says Rader. “A small car with good safety ratings doesn’t mean that it’s just as safe as a bigger, heavier one with the same ratings.” With that, it’s tempting to think that everyone should just go out and buy the biggest, tallest, and heaviest new car they can afford, but that doesn’t help if you run off the road and roll over or hit a tree. (Plus, we don’t all want to be driving semi-trucks.)

Of course, the best way to survive an accident is not to get into one in the first place. Pre-collision warning, automatic braking, lane departure warning, and lane keeping assistance systems reduce the number and severity of accidents drivers get into. So IIHS has recently incorporated ratings for these systems into its overarching Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+s ratings. Besides small-overlap test performance and NHTSA’s side pole test, these are the systems that distinguish the safest cars today.

Modern technologies aimed at reducing injuries in accidents such as crumple zones, safety structures, air bags, and active driving aids have made cars much more likely to incur damage in even minor accidents, and much more expensive to repair afterward. They’re still better at doing their ultimate job of protecting you and your family inside when something goes wrong though.