Safest Sports Cars
Sports cars and safety seem like polar opposites on the surface, but when it comes down to the physics and actual crash tests, sports cars actually perform quite well on the safety front. Because these are small to mid-sized cars with lower centers of gravity and longer crumple zones, they are less prone to breaking apart, rolling and collapsing in a harsh collision. While sports cars rarely make the list of safest cars on the road, as certain things are lost with the sporty options, they usually protect their drivers and passengers. Olympic world record sprinter Usain Bolt crashed is BMW M3 in Jamaica in August 2009, and after what looked like a nasty accident, walked away from it unscathed--which means he was either lucky or sports cars are actually pretty safe.
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Volvo C70 convertible
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Volvo has always been a notoriously safe auto company and remains so to this day, with heavy steel frames and long crumple zones. Even the C70 convertible has roll bars, which pop up when a rollover is imminent. These rollover pillars, along with the windshield, are purported by manufacturers to hold much more weight than the car itself. Still, not having a solid steel roof overhead may lead to a higher likelihood of injury.
Audi TT
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The Audi TT has received some of the highest crash test ratings from both the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, as it is a heavy car with a low center of gravity, and has an electronic stability control system (ESC) and front and side impact airbags. It's also one of the larger sports cars on the market, which makes it fare better in bad collisions than smaller cars.
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Acura RSX
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Another small and fast sports car that received the highest marks from the NHTSA is the Acura RSX. With a five-star rating for frontal impact tests, this suggests that the driver and passenger will escape the majority of accidents in this car without serious injury--meaning no hospitalization or chance of death.
Mazda Miata
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Upping its safety standards from previous models, the newer Mazda Miata model is one of the safest sports cars on the market. The Miata received between four and five stars for frontal impact crashes, being the safest for passengers in accidents. Miatas are small but have all the bells and whistles of the other top-rated sports cars, with a rollover rating of five stars. The side impact door beams help make it safer in side impact collisions, though, like other sports cars, this is still where this car is the most vulnerable.
Porsche Boxster
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The Porsche Boxster, like the Audi TT, is low to the ground, German-engineered and heavy, so that if an accident does occur, only the outside is damaged, as opposed to the occupants inside. The Boxster has been known for great handling since it was first released and now has a stability control system monitoring the car--which automatically reduces engine power or applies select braking when it deems it to be necessary. There are also front and side impact airbags and pretensioners, which tighten the seat belt around the occupant during a collision.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit http://www.bmwblog.com/2009/05/01/olympic-champion-usain-bolt-crashes-his-bmw-m3/
