Have you guys seen what's left of the Jackass star's GT3? I can't tell if it was even a car.

Would a large German sedans like the Mercedes S-class or the BMW 7 series have done any better with respect to the safety of the driver and any passengers in this high speed accident? How about a massive SUV like the Cadillac Escalade or the Range Rover?

I once had a front collision with a pick-up truck in my 996 at about 20 mph, and the front of 996 has just worked its way into the pick-up truck and killed that car, while my 996 only had minor scratches on the front bumper. So P-cars appear to be solid from the front, but I wonder how our cars measure up to let's say Volvo's.

 

Traveling at the speeds he was reported to have been traveling at, you'd have to suspect no. I would imagine almost anything would have ended up looking like the wrecked GT3. It may also have been that the emergency services had to cut open the car to retrieve the passengers. Either way, I don't think the occupants would have had much better odds if they'd been in a larger car.

 

A large vehicle (with higher mass) will only protect you against smaller vehicles (of presumably lesser mass).

Heavy vehicles have a disadvantage when presented with immovable objects (trees, bridge abutments, etc...) as their structure must dissipate and ultimately resist higher forces.

The 997 is an incredibly robust vehicle that offers as good or better crash protection as any German sedan...when confronted with a fixed object.

If you're in your 997, however, and you get hit by a GM Electromotive you're dead...

All that said, I'd wager the safest car in the world is the Mercedes S-Class. It's a ****in' tank with state-of-the-art systems. Can't beat that. I'd imagine a Cayenne would be a safe bet too.

The Escalade is a piece of crap.

 

I'd disagree. The crumple zones in the large sedans are simply bigger, giving the structure the ability to reduce the ultimate forces absorbed by the body. The 997 is a safe car, but I know I'd rather hit a tree in a 7 series or A8 than a 911 of any kind.

I tend to agree that the S is one of the safest cars you can buy. The pure number of airbags and safety systems onboard are impressive.

The escalade has a nice sturdy full frame. They may not be to your liking, but they are a very safe car as well.

 

The problem though, as NinetyOneC2 correctly points out, is that the larger vehicles we're talking about, with close to a ton more mass than a 911, have significantly more energy to absorb when encountering a fixed object. This tends to negate their advantage in crumple zone size. I wouldn't bet against a 911.

 

Specifically for a frontal collision into an immovable object/barrier, the frontal impact crash tests performed by NHTSA and IIHS would be applicable. They also post the deceleration of the impact (in "g's")...and the last time I looked, the design of the vehicle (airbag, crumple zone, dash distance from the legs/torso, etc) was more important than vehicle weight. So, I would tend to agree that vehicle weight isn't the main factor in determining safety when crashing into a tree.

On the other hand, in multiple vehicle collisions, the weight of the vehicle is VERY important, and it's been shown to correlate with driver survival when an accident does occur. The flip side of the coin is that it's harder for a heavier vehicle to avoid a collision in the first place (i.e. braking and maneuvering), so there's probably a happy middle area.

It's too bad nobody has done crash tests on Porsche's, so we'll never really know how safe the car is relative to other cars on the road.

The best website I've seen for crash safety is:
www.informedforlife.org
It synthesizes all the crash test ratings for various impacts and corrects for weight of the vehicle and frequency of each type of collision and gives you a composite score that is directly compared to other vehicles. I think it was originally compiled by an ER physician. I looked at the methodology and I am generally in agreement with it. check it out.

 

I don't think those guys would have survived had they been in any motor vehicle. Sometimes the tree(s) win.

 

I've seen the results for several years of a 996/997 hitting and being hit. It fairs quite well in most accident scenarios because of sophisticated computer aided design and the careful placement of high strength steels. However, even the best designs cannot deal with solid objects that will not shear or fail,, themselves. As most automotive accidents are against OTHER automobiles, then they do well. When they take on a bridge structure, or a masonry building, or a large diameter tree, there is little more than can be done to improve the 997, nor any other vehicle, including a large Mercedes.

 

I agree with DHC. remember Princess Di? She was in a limo.

 

porsche has fuel rail lines on both sides of engine in rear. severe rear impact will tear them off and with fuel pump working it will ignite from exhaust.
same as on pretty much any other race cars. prepped cars have fire suppression systems with sprinklers on top of fuel rails to give you extra 5-7sec to get out. street cars, well, they are what they are. there is always volvo for those who want to feel safer.

 

She nor the other passengers that dies were wearing seatbelts. The lone survivor was in the front...wearing a belt. Also, in post crash images the roof had been cut off by first responders.

 

in the GT3 crash- if the impact didnt kill them i bet the fire did.
At that speed we're all dead.

 

Did you say Volvo? ooh....

I lost a new 2008 Cayman S to an '89 Volvo 240D IIRC. The Volvo driver was on the phone and missed her turn and slid across/through an intersection two lanes of opposing traffic and smashed into my new Cayman S right at the left front wheel. The impact then drove the car sideways against the curb on the right side of the car. Both airbags deployed.

The car was declared a total loss.

The Volvo's damage? I swear to God (I have pics) the only damage that car showed after the accident was the headlight on the side that contacted my car hanging out by its wiring. The light still worked!

After exchanging info (and all the while me resisting the urge to beat her bloody about the head) the other driver got in her @#$% box Volvo and drove away while I stood in the rain waiting for the tow truck to remove my new car from the roadway.

But neither my passenger or I (or that damned driver of the other car) suffered any injuries.

Also, I saw a pic of a 996 that got T-boned by a Jeep something or other and while the driver suffered some injuries -- they were not that bad (broken ankle, cracked ribs) considering the force of the impact and its location. The Jeep smashed into the 996 right at the driver's dood and the jeep was moving at some speed.

All in all I feel pretty darn safe in my Porsches.

Sincerely,

Macster.

 

 

That car definitely gave itself up for you and left you with "room to live", as the passenger compartment structure is amazingly intact.