But in regards to your comment about reviewing “literature and reviews” you may be (and I would say are probably) wrong about smart cars being more safe than larger cars with a worse rating. Although they may have a higher rating than larger cars, you have to keep in mind that every size class of car has a different scale to measure up against, and cars in differing size/weight cannot be compared with each other. Such comparisons are meaningless.

Two important non-subjective points are the following:

1) Mass difference:
Mass plays a huge role in terms of “who wins” in an accident. We learned about this in high school physics. Force = mass x acceleration. When two cars crash, you can say that the two cars experience the same force. But because the smart car weighs a lot less, its “acceleration” is a lot higher during a collisions… In (non high school physics) technical terms, that means that during a collision, the person in a smart car will experience a much higher jolt or degree of whiplash during collision, regardless of how strong the chassis of the smart car may be.

2) Crumple zones:
In “non smart” cars, the trunk or engine bay will absorb force during a collision by crumpling in. On a non smart car, there is no engine bay or trunk that can do that… So the next best thing is to add force limiters on the seat belts, to add a little “give” during a collision, so that the seat belts wont shatter your bones during a collision. But it is much much less effective than having 4 feet of engine to “give” and absorb the forces.

People often get the wrong idea after watching a smart car crash against a normal car. They see the smart car plow through the engine bay of a normal car, destroying the front of the normal car while the smart car retains its shape. They conclude that the smart car is better built and better at protecting the passengers. This is false conclusion because of my point above; The fact that normal cars are crumpling in the engine bay or trunk is a life saving feature.

The truth is that the best thing engineers can do for the occupants in a smart car is to ensure that the passenger cabin does not collapse and lead to smushed up people during a typical accident, and the smart car engineers have done that very well.

You are spot on. It really sucks that when you google Smart car crash you get pictures that aren’t even of a Smart.

Here is another one.
http://www.moral-flexibility.net/archives/2007/09/18/smartcar-accident-photos-but-not-quite/comment-page-1/#comment-85718

The vehicle in this one looks more like a Honda CRV.

Size matters … PERIOD. The smaller/lighter the vehicle – the greater the chance of getting killed in it.

I’ve been riding on motorcycles for over 40 years BTW.