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

@ANuggetOfTheFinestGreen

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.

I couldn't agree more. We've owned 4 Subarus as a family and are in the process of buying a 5th. They always get five star safety ratings from the US government agency that tests all cars sold in the US:

www.nhtsa.gov/ratings

I live in New York and most winters we get a lot of snow. The brilliant all wheel drive system they have has gotten me home on days when lots of other all wheel drive cars were stuck in a ditch. They are all around great cars, very practical and reliable.

I would have jumped in earlier to recommend them but I wasn't sure if they were really available in the UK.

People really need to get to know car braking distances, in different types of weather in my opinion..
Would help an awful lot tbh

fit a tow hitch - saved me from quite a bit of damage on previous cars and really stuffs up the idiot behind. Admittedly low speed collisions.

make sure tyres are in good nick and correctly inflated, plus wipers ok, lights working etc etc. If your car fails its MoT on any of this basic stuff you need to sell it and get the bus as you are irresponsible.

buy bright colours, not brown and not that fugly orange that is so fashionable now. Modern cars do have shit lights and indicators so don't expect people to see you.

don't drive in staggering heels. Bloody dangerous. Ditto wellies or big walking boots, and ballet flats want chucking on the fire anyway.

and yes, speeding is not 'naughty', speed limits are that not a target, turn the bloody phone OFF (can't believe the silly bitch I saw next to me today, start her car and then turn the dick brick on and start staring at it - I drove off before she did). Reasonable speed and keep your distance.

Yes crumple zones can be a safety feature as they absorb all the impact before it reaches the passengers. You want to look at the difference between the core where you sit and the area of impact. If the bonnet looks like a scrunched up can but the core of the car where the people are sitting is OK, that car has done its job fantastically. Whereas less damage on the bonnet but force transferred to the people inside might mean you come off less well.

My Punto rolled (slowly) into a Toyota hilux. No damage to mine. £2500 to the Hilux
But then my friend has just written his Mazda mx5 off, he crashed into a lorry on the motorway and walked away. The lorry driver and passenger had to be cut out
Some of it is pure luck, my friend had a v v nasty accident with 120mph total impact head on in a metro. She had severe injuries but is alive and well now. How, after seeing the car I have no idea

I would go for something with a good safety rating and kept well and look at an advanced driving course. I expect everyone to drive like an idiot, pull out of side streets, fling themselves off pavements etc and it's worked pretty well. One accident where I was rear ended, didn't hit the car in front as I had deliberately left loads of room

Spend money on a defensive driving course. It changes the whole way you view the road, and you will literally be preventing accidents for other people as well as yourself.

Just looked up the NCAP rating on my Grand Scenic. 5 stars.

I agree with comments about making sure that you're paying attention to your own driving first and foremost.

Just bought a new A4. I automatically assume that all German cars are incredibly safe. Fingers crossed I'll never have to find out.