AIBU to spend money on a larger car following my brothers accident?

[Vintage2020]

My brother was in a car accident. Lucky for him he was in a Volvo estate and only suffered from whiplash injuries. However the car smaller was not so lucky and the driver ended up badly hurt. So really what asking is have u done your research on which car is one of the safest in a crash situation and please advise me which this is? Ps I have a 8k budget!!!! Thank you in advance x

Google NCAP and go from there.

www.euroncap.com/en

Isn't it more the safety rating of the car than the size

The 4x4 do tend to be much better in an accident than say a corsa.

Many safe cars are really expensive and out of many people budgets.

8k is not alot for a big car with a very good safety rating

YABU.
It’s not just about the size anymore. When I was a kid, my mum was in an awful crash in our big square Volvo estate and it did save her life. However a few years ago, we were in a seven car crash on a major dual carriageway and our little Hyundai i20 hatchback faired far better than the big Dacia duster, or the pugeot estate. Similarly when my little c3 was hit by a long wheelbase transporter I came off with not a scratch.

Yes, have a look at NCAP for safety ratings. It's often not the size but what they've done with it! Some smaller cars are rated very highly for safety.

Really appreciate all of your replies - I will start with the NCAP now, thank u!

My sister's MIL got T Boned on the driver's side by a driver going at 50 on the day before her wedding.

She came out with just a seatbelt burn. I'd recommend the Kia C'eed on that basis!

However, I always, ALWAYS stress that distance is the single most important factor in traffic collisions. The best thing you can do for yourself is always ensure there's adequate space between you and other vehicles.

Depends on the accident.
Small car against big car - big car probably comes off best
Big car against lorry - lorry probably comes off best
Lorry having plane land on it - neither comes off well.

Generally bigger car (newish) is better but look into the individual car.

I am going for a golf, but doing my research for best safety ratings within budget - golf estate is coming up good! Hope a plane doesn’t land on me! I agree - keep ya distance from the car in front is my repeated Moto - unfortunately my brother was stationary so you can’t keep away from the idiot behind you!!!!!

VW are great cars op I had a golf and I once hit a Range Rover after the driver decided he didn’t want to wait, the range definitely came off worse. I now drive a qashqai and I love it, really good ratings on NCAP.

As others have said, it's not about size, it's about safety ratings. I have a Toyota Yaris which is quite small but it has a 5* safety rating.

I have the newest skoda fabia estate, that has a good NCAP score and probably in your price range second hand.

NCAP is good, agreed.

We have a tiny car but it has an excellent NCAP rating, some bigger, older cars are worse.

Newer is generally better, this is because over the last 10 years safety has started to be a huge factor driving the market so the different companies are all trying really hard to innovate the next big thing that will protect car occupants.

This video is fascinating:

We were hit head on in a golf by a complete idiot who was racing his friend. Car was totalled but we came away with scrapes, bruises and whiplash. Worse injury was my foot being broken because I was wearing ugg boots! I was in the passengers side Definitely would recommend them in a horrible crash situation.

Volvo are known for their safety focus. Their design statement is that their vision is that no one will be seriously hurt in an accident if they’re in a Volvo.

Definitely worth getting a smaller car with a better frame. I’d recommend looking at an older 8 class though or an A1 as well. They’re both very sturdy cars. I had an accident in one (car totalled, engine split, hit from two directions etc) but no injuries at all.

It isn't the size

A land rover discovery ploughed into the back on my volvo. The range rover crumpled- basically it was all plastic. The police who arrived made some comment about substance over style and said that land rovers were notorious for falling apart after an accident. I had a dented boot.

Agree on the Volvo!! Pricey though. Will look at the mercs - golf still ahead of the game at the mo

My granddad recommendeds the fiat punto he saw one get in an accident with a wagon and it had not a scratch on it the wagon was a write off.

Sorry VW golf not a fiat

Ignoring brands and car sizes for a moment, it's well worth paying attention to tyres. The safest car in the world could still fare badly in an accident if the tyres are badly worn, or of poor quality.

I also think taking an advanced driving course is very worthwhile if you're interested in road safety. Many of them teach things like how to control a skid, safer driving on unpredictable roads or conditions, and anticipating other drivers' behaviour.

I've got a Subaru, cracking safety reviews (5 star NCAP and ANCAP) - it's comfy, quick, sturdy and for getting up and down our steep country roads in bad weather it can't be beaten. Boot is massive and there is more room inside than in my old Volvo.

Doesn't hurt that it sounds and looks amazing either!

Ford Focus' are very safe cars.

A land rover discovery ploughed into the back on my volvo. The range rover crumpled- basically it was all plastic.

You can't judge relative safety from this type of accident. The fronts of cars are designed to crumple in an accident. I know someone who (in the early 80's) was stopped at a traffic light in an Alfasud, when a C-class mercedes ran into the back of them. The Alfasud was undamaged and the C-class was wrecked all the way back to the wind-screen. It would be wrong to conclude from that that the Alfa was generally safer than the Mercedes!

If the Range Rover hadn''t crumpled at all, that would be evidence of it being unsafe, I think.