Small cars aren't safe....

[Franco Cozzo]

What has been really annoying me a lot recently is people who think older and bigger cars are safer than newer smaller cars in accidents. I just took delivery of my new LV TDCI Focus on the 12th of January this year:









That was from an impact of just below 100km/h when I t-boned one of those older late 80s early 90s Holden Rodeo's a few hours ago, we're both lucky we're alive, he was on the emergency lane and wanted to reverse back to help his friend who he had seen broken down, we wanted to reverse onto the grass a bit more but turned the steering wheel the wrong way and accidentally reversed really quickly across the freeway and into my path.

I swerved into the right lane and locked up the brakes (ABS didnt even have time to react before the impact, theres skidmarks on the road) and I hit with the front left side of my Focus which you really can't see in the photo and hit the passenger side door on his Rodeo, I hit him pretty hard and it pushed his Rodeo from the right lane of the freeway facing towards the emergency lane, to facing the freeway from on the grass on the other side of the freeway past the emergency lane he was in.

I'm fine, I have a burn on my forehead from the airbag, a sore chest from the pretensioners firing and pulling me back itno the seat and I hit my knee on the dash, the other guy got out and said he had a sore collarbone but I'm surprised he got out of that one alive, the Rodeo looks like a banana, the photos dont really show it from the angle but it punched in his car quite far.

The front passenger side is pushed all the way back to the passenger door and I couldn't get the passenger door open.

Anyways, have a look of the photo inside the car, the airbags have deployed, but there isn't much else, the heater control facia came off and the rear seatbase snapped off in the impact and hit the back of my seat, I think I proved that smaller cars stand up quite well in accidents considering I hit at about 90km/h and this thing was built in South Africa.

Lucky we're both alive and well and escaped without injuries and we both have full comp insurance.

THANK GOD FOR 5 STAR SAFETY RATING.

[grandpa_spec_F6]

Glad to see you're ok mate, that's a pretty decent impact and for the speed, you're lucky that's all there was. Seen some shockers on the Bruce Highway here in QLD, and your focus didn't do too bad at all!

[Franco Cozzo]

If I hit head on we'd probably both be dead but I think because I pushed him out of the way and he was stationary at impact thats why it wasn't really serious.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Bugger...

Glad you are ok. Have just bought the exact same car for my wife.

Couldn't live with myself if she had a serious accident in her 11 year old Mirage with no air bags / safety electronics knowing I had the means of putting what I value most in a much safer car.

The car did its job if you are here tonight talking about it.

[Riksta]

Glad you're all ok and there was no serious human injuries.

Sorry to see your car like that :(

[SSD-85]

Its good to see youre alright, I had a very similiar accident, except i was the one getting t-boned. My xr8 was still a write off, but the late 80s/early 90s navara had its engine pushed into the passenger cabin.

Stupid bastard nearly died for what he did. I wouldve been the one t-boning him if i didnt try and move around him. wouldve been a direct hit on his drivers door. Moron.

Ive seen what happens to older vehicles in accidents, ive been in them. Doesnt matter how thick the sheetmetal is, its still very pliable when subject to those levels of force.

[Franco Cozzo]

Thats right, never ever am I going to buy something with less than 5 star safety rating, I come out with no injuries and I'm alive, thats a big win in my eyes.

[big_landau]

good to see everyone is ok,gotta love the airbags

[TheInterceptor]

Ouch hard hit....good to see its all good.

If that were my car id probobly be dead about two times over in either situation. Its all about construction (at least) and a smart brain, not about size.

[Franco Cozzo]

Airbags are so freakin loud when they go off, they deployed and I couldnt hear and both my ears are ringing, i didn't even hear the impact.

I got out and saw the front of my car and I thought oh well, there wasn't anything I could have done about it since it happened so quick and that we're both alive and well, the other poor kid only got his license in December and had spent a lot of money restoring this Rodeo, he has full comp as well but I think they'll dick him.

[WMD351]

Mate that sucks, good to see you're OK.
As I think you said in one of the safety threads some time back, better off without your car than chillin in a grave.
Nice choice of daily driver.

[big_landau]

but your ok

[TheZHLANE]

It bent in half cause its a rodeo

[Franco Cozzo]

At least my week can't get any worse

Also I get to car shop around again, I'm thinking about another TDCI Focus.

[Iggypoppin']

Good to hear you're ok damo, pity about the car but they are replaceable and of no concern if someone is injured. It's refreshing to see a young fella like myself who is safety concious(sp) too, and doesn't speed. Much more over 100 and you'd have been hurt I'm sure.

[phillyc]

No-one has said BUILT FORD TOUGH!

Glad to see everyone has come out pretty good. Particularly you. You are the innocent victim and will feel sorer in a day or two. Hope all goes to plan with the replacement and your back behind the wheel of a new Focus TDCI very soon.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by phillyc

No-one has said BUILT FORD TOUGH!

Glad to see everyone has come out pretty good. Particularly you. You are the innocent victim and will feel sorer in a day or two. Hope all goes to plan with the replacement and your back behind the wheel of a new Focus TDCI very soon.

Haha I was thinking about saying that, but I thought i'd keep the message serious.

Tomorrow is going to suck, then its all up hill from there

[JG34JA]

It's good to hear you are all OK, I wish you all the best. Cars can be replaced, people cannot. Mum had a similar accident in a dual airbag equipped VY wagon. Airbags are gold.

[dannyhilton]

Shoot mate, the Focus came out of that just dandy. The cabin appears to be near perfect, the structure from that picture looks spot on? Even the front has done pretty well for an impact of that speed. The Europeans know their stuff. Even still, you have the advantage of a longer bonnet there which has sustained much of the impact, I'm not too sure my Fiesta would be as pretty a picture.

But more to the point, do you get to keep the number plate? I mean, that's awesome!

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by dannyhilton

Shoot mate, the Focus came out of that just dandy. The cabin appears to be near perfect, the structure from that picture looks spot on? Even the front has done pretty well for an impact of that speed. The Europeans know their stuff. Even still, you have the advantage of a longer bonnet there which has sustained much of the impact, I'm not too sure my Fiesta would be as pretty a picture.

But more to the point, do you get to keep the number plate? I mean, that's awesome!

Haha, I wish, those numberplates where grand, that and the front right headlight assembly the only salvageable things off the car LOL.

[Zedjay]

Originally Posted by dannyhilton

Shoot mate, the Focus came out of that just dandy. The cabin appears to be near perfect, the structure from that picture looks spot on? Even the front has done pretty well for an impact of that speed. The Europeans know their stuff. Even still, you have the advantage of a longer bonnet there which has sustained much of the impact, I'm not too sure my Fiesta would be as pretty a picture.

But more to the point, do you get to keep the number plate? I mean, that's awesome!

i had a head on with a fiesta in my NP pajero and the chick driving the fiesta wasnt too badly injured...but i havnt worked since have back and shoulder problems.. if you saw the cars you would be like .

she went straight under the drivers side wheel and flipped us over 3 times.
the fiesta had its front ripped off from the firewall forward and the engine was about 50 meters away from it...
when we went to have a look at my Paj (diddnt remember to much from the crash) i found the alternator from the fiester under my drivers seat.. i got some pics somwhere

[WMD351]

Sorry to hear about your troubles Zedjay, thanks for sharing though.
When I see pictures of those accidents where the engine ends up 50m up the road the first thing I always think about is how much energy did it take to throw the block that far? Energy that didn't get transferred into the cars occupants but was taken away from the crash.
I wouldn't want to crash Fiestas for a living though.

[sudszy]

Originally Posted by WMD351

When I see pictures of those accidents where the engine ends up 50m up the road the first thing I always think about is how much energy did it take to throw the block that far? Energy that didn't get transferred into the cars occupants but was taken away from the crash.
.

Not wanting to be too pedantic here, but the whole "Energy that didn't get transferred into the cars occupants but was taken away from the crash, absorbed by the crumple zone" is a bit of a crock that has unfortunately been perpetuated by safety advertising literature.
Somehow people have the idea now that if they are in a bigger vehicle that has no crumple zone, then more energy will be transferred to the occupants than if they were in a smaller vehicle with no crumple zone, no
If all the energy of a moving vehicle was disappated solely to the occupants, we'd have body parts flying km from the scene!

The basics of what is happening in a collision is we are trying to have the car's occupants acceleration and the consequent forces that act on them reduced to survivable levels, by extending the time/distance of the collision for the occupant.
Have a look at the crash testing videos, its all about how far the body has to travel in going from 50km/h to rest and whether they collide with anything firm in the car doing this.

If we sit far enough behind the wheel and just have a giant airbag we could easily achieve safe levels of deacceleration without any crumple zones at all, the airbag is clearly not absorbing any of the vehicle's energy, just the persons kinetic energy to be disappated and transferred more slowly.

Before seatbelts and collapsable steering columns the mechanism for drivers to stop was for them to be impaled on the end of the steering shaft, a large force acting on a very small area of body over a small time. The airbag does the same thing, but exerts a smaller force over a much larger area of body over a much greater time, survivable.

[DJM83]

I love my focus just the little bit more now, pity the car didnt last long mate, but your ok thats the main thing.

[4vxc]

if that was a 90km/h hit I'd say the ute did well

[xy500]

isnt the focus technically a mid size car?
impact speed would have to be much less than 100 for that sort of damage, i've seen a rodeo look similar after a 60kmh smash.
glad everyone is ok

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by xy500

isnt the focus technically a mid size car?
impact speed would have to be much less than 100 for that sort of damage, i've seen a rodeo look similar after a 60kmh smash.
glad everyone is ok

I think its classed as a small car, I'm not sure, its in the same league as the Mazda 3, etc. Fiesta is a "supermini".

Originally Posted by 4vxc

if that was a 90km/h hit I'd say the ute did well

Yeah I think the reason why is because when I hit him how his ute slid, I actually knocked his ute from the far right hand lane facing the emergency lane to all the way back into the grass past the emergency lane facing me.

If I hit him and his ute didn't move at all I'd probably be dead I reckon.

I jammed on the brakes and you know how it usually locks for a split second than unlocks with ABS, well it didn't have time to unlock before we hit. I wished I braked earlier haha but it happened so fast, Swerved and then I'm sitting in the middle of the freeway with my airbags deployed.

Originally Posted by Burnout

Nice stack Damo, good to know you are ok.
Many happy moments to think about it as you walk to work.......

Haha, long walk then, 55km.

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

Man .. that's a decent hit.
Lucky to walk away ... shame about the new car as well.
Got another one ordered yet???

Haven't yet but insurance says they'll replace it with a new one in the first 2 years, but I want a frozen white oen again which is a pain in the *** to find. I wonder if they'll give me a MKII now instead of MKI?

I was talking to AAMI on the phone and they're like we'll take it back to our assessors and they'll make the final call if they can fix it... Good luck fixing that.

I rang up Dad after I got out of the car, and I said don't panic but I just had a car accident, he rang up Mum and they where both more shaken up then I was haha.

[HLC]

/in before "It'll buff out"



seriously though, thats a sizeable whack, irregardless.

and for above- not much weight behind the focus... my physics is a little rough but Force = Mass x Acceleration.

As the focus had slammed on the anchors, would have been decelerating quite quickly hence exponentially reducing the impact force.

SO, you are probably right.

But it still does not take away from the seriousness of the accident~!

[04redxr8]

Good to hear that your OK. The Focus has certainly surprised me.

[Burnout]

Nice stack Damo, good to know you are ok.
Many happy moments to think about it as you walk to work.......