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What are the crash ratings all around on the Versa? I feel you are not being very scientific on this. She wasn’t injured in her wreck, you are extrapolating t

What are the crash ratings all around on the Versa? I feel you are not being very scientific on this. She wasn’t injured in her wreck, you are extrapolating that she would have been, but you don’t know that. Bigger is not always better with crash safety, I see this idea espoused a lot. The old huge rigid cars from back in the day are actually death traps because they don’t have crumple zones and the frames are too rigid, transferring all the force to the occupant in a crash. That’s why demolition derby contestants always get those old full frame cars from the past, they don’t crumple and they transfer force to the other vehicles, but also to the driver. If the modern crown vic is 5 star rated this may not be a problem, but the rating probably came before they added the door supports for the police, so the car may actually be more unsafe now.

marketer 8y ago
Yes! I had the exact same reaction to this story. The way I interpreted the story is that the design of the Versa may actually have contributed to his wife's safety. It's possible the car was designed to crumple in such a way to distribute the weight of the collision. Ironically getting a Crown Victoria may decrease the overall safety.
- usrusr 8y ago
  There's not much zone to crumple in a side impact. On the sides, all effort is invested in keeping the rigid zone rigid and cushioning the resulting acceleration with airbags, as good as space inside the rigid zone is permitting.
ianai 8y ago
I also think the problem space is being solved incorrectly. Sure, 9k might not make a comparably safe 2-4 seater (which is debatable). But I bet they’d make a much safer 1 seater. That’s precisely what most day commuters need.
cr0sh 8y ago
The crown vic police interceptor (which is likely what the op is talking about) is a fairly "modern" vehicle; it was the go-to vehicle for police departments across the country. Detective versions typically were white or black only (not "cruiser" decorated), and usually lacked the interior cage and hose-out rear seat. Other than that, they usually had the full interceptor package (unless the dept cheaped out for the detectives, I suppose, and just bought standard crown vics). I'm not sure when they stopped making them, but it had to be sometime in the early-2000s, maybe a bit later. I know that a lot of PDs went to an SUV platform, or other vehicles. The one potential issue with a crown vic that would make it more dangerous that other cars is that it had a saddle fuel tank. Ford did not learn the lesson of their Pinto. Rear-end accidents with a crown vic had the potential to turn in to fiery death-traps. It wasn't until a police detective here in Phoenix got horribly injured (but survived) did they make modifications to police fleet vehicles (I think they put in a racing fuel bladder or something like that in the tanks). I don't believe such modifications were implemented for standard civilian crown vics... Regardless, the crown vic isn't the same as much older vehicles. While it likely isn't up to modern crash standards, it is still a fairly new vehicle that does have crumple zones and such, and won't spear someone thru the heart with the steering column in a front-end collision.
- morganvachon 8y ago
  > The crown vic police interceptor (which is likely what the op is talking about) is a fairly "modern" vehicle Yes, it is. > I'm not sure when they stopped making them, but it had to be sometime in the early-2000s, maybe a bit later. The CVPI (Crown Victoria Police Interceptor) and the Crown Victoria itself were retired in 2011. Their immediate replacement from Ford was a Taurus based Interceptor sedan and SUV. Most officers I know derided the new Interceptor platform for having less acceleration and smaller interior space than the old CV platform. Where I live, the Dodge Charger police vehicle became much more popular after the CVPI was retired. > The one potential issue with a crown vic that would make it more dangerous that other cars is that it had a saddle fuel tank. Ford did not learn the lesson of their Pinto. Rear-end accidents with a crown vic had the potential to turn in to fiery death-traps. It wasn't until a police detective here in Phoenix got horribly injured (but survived) did they make modifications to police fleet vehicles (I think they put in a racing fuel bladder or something like that in the tanks). I don't believe such modifications were implemented for standard civilian crown vics... This is correct. The last revision of the CVPI (2004 to 2011) had a ton of safety improvements, including to the gas tank. > Regardless, the crown vic isn't the same as much older vehicles. While it likely isn't up to modern crash standards, it is still a fairly new vehicle that does have crumple zones and such, and won't spear someone thru the heart with the steering column in a front-end collision. It's still one of the safer (for the driver) cars on the road today, though its weight and bulk make it more likely to cause the most damage to other vehicles in any accident it's involved in. And you're exactly right about the steering column, it's a breakaway design. I know this because I've had to replace a dash component that required unbolting the steering wheel and column.
morganvachon 8y ago
> What are the crash ratings all around on the Versa? I feel you are not being very scientific on this. Front on the Versa is 3 stars, side impact is 2 stars, rollover is 4 stars. The Crown Vic is 5, 5, 5. The door additions were designed to improve officer survival in a crash, not reduce it (I used to work in law enforcement and that is direct knowledge). I'm not sure why you think I'd look at the Vic's safety ratings and just make an assumption about the Versa, that's extremely presumptive of you. > She wasn’t injured in her wreck She was injured, she had bruising and a sore hip for a few weeks, as I stated. This was from a 15MPH crash, one which rendered her car totaled with severe frame damage. If it had been at highway speeds I doubt she would have survived. Also, the Crown Vic is a 2009, not a 80s or 90s car. It has crumple zones, breakaways, and other modern safety features that all contribute to its exceptional crash rating. Sources for crash ratings: Versa: https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2011/NISSAN/VERSA/5%252520HB/FWD https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2011/NISSAN/VERSA/5%252520HB/F... Crown Victoria: https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2009/FORD/CROWN%252520VICTORIA/4%252520DR/RWD https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2009/FORD/CROWN%252520VICTORIA...

marketer 8y ago

Yes! I had the exact same reaction to this story. The way I interpreted the story is that the design of the Versa may actually have contributed to his wife's safety. It's possible the car was designed to crumple in such a way to distribute the weight of the collision. Ironically getting a Crown Victoria may decrease the overall safety.

usrusr 8y ago
There's not much zone to crumple in a side impact. On the sides, all effort is invested in keeping the rigid zone rigid and cushioning the resulting acceleration with airbags, as good as space inside the rigid zone is permitting.

ianai 8y ago

I also think the problem space is being solved incorrectly. Sure, 9k might not make a comparably safe 2-4 seater (which is debatable). But I bet they’d make a much safer 1 seater. That’s precisely what most day commuters need.

cr0sh 8y ago

The crown vic police interceptor (which is likely what the op is talking about) is a fairly "modern" vehicle; it was the go-to vehicle for police departments across the country. Detective versions typically were white or black only (not "cruiser" decorated), and usually lacked the interior cage and hose-out rear seat. Other than that, they usually had the full interceptor package (unless the dept cheaped out for the detectives, I suppose, and just bought standard crown vics). I'm not sure when they stopped making them, but it had to be sometime in the early-2000s, maybe a bit later. I know that a lot of PDs went to an SUV platform, or other vehicles. The one potential issue with a crown vic that would make it more dangerous that other cars is that it had a saddle fuel tank. Ford did not learn the lesson of their Pinto. Rear-end accidents with a crown vic had the potential to turn in to fiery death-traps. It wasn't until a police detective here in Phoenix got horribly injured (but survived) did they make modifications to police fleet vehicles (I think they put in a racing fuel bladder or something like that in the tanks). I don't believe such modifications were implemented for standard civilian crown vics... Regardless, the crown vic isn't the same as much older vehicles. While it likely isn't up to modern crash standards, it is still a fairly new vehicle that does have crumple zones and such, and won't spear someone thru the heart with the steering column in a front-end collision.

morganvachon 8y ago
> The crown vic police interceptor (which is likely what the op is talking about) is a fairly "modern" vehicle Yes, it is. > I'm not sure when they stopped making them, but it had to be sometime in the early-2000s, maybe a bit later. The CVPI (Crown Victoria Police Interceptor) and the Crown Victoria itself were retired in 2011. Their immediate replacement from Ford was a Taurus based Interceptor sedan and SUV. Most officers I know derided the new Interceptor platform for having less acceleration and smaller interior space than the old CV platform. Where I live, the Dodge Charger police vehicle became much more popular after the CVPI was retired. > The one potential issue with a crown vic that would make it more dangerous that other cars is that it had a saddle fuel tank. Ford did not learn the lesson of their Pinto. Rear-end accidents with a crown vic had the potential to turn in to fiery death-traps. It wasn't until a police detective here in Phoenix got horribly injured (but survived) did they make modifications to police fleet vehicles (I think they put in a racing fuel bladder or something like that in the tanks). I don't believe such modifications were implemented for standard civilian crown vics... This is correct. The last revision of the CVPI (2004 to 2011) had a ton of safety improvements, including to the gas tank. > Regardless, the crown vic isn't the same as much older vehicles. While it likely isn't up to modern crash standards, it is still a fairly new vehicle that does have crumple zones and such, and won't spear someone thru the heart with the steering column in a front-end collision. It's still one of the safer (for the driver) cars on the road today, though its weight and bulk make it more likely to cause the most damage to other vehicles in any accident it's involved in. And you're exactly right about the steering column, it's a breakaway design. I know this because I've had to replace a dash component that required unbolting the steering wheel and column.

morganvachon 8y ago

> What are the crash ratings all around on the Versa? I feel you are not being very scientific on this. Front on the Versa is 3 stars, side impact is 2 stars, rollover is 4 stars. The Crown Vic is 5, 5, 5. The door additions were designed to improve officer survival in a crash, not reduce it (I used to work in law enforcement and that is direct knowledge). I'm not sure why you think I'd look at the Vic's safety ratings and just make an assumption about the Versa, that's extremely presumptive of you. > She wasn’t injured in her wreck She was injured, she had bruising and a sore hip for a few weeks, as I stated. This was from a 15MPH crash, one which rendered her car totaled with severe frame damage. If it had been at highway speeds I doubt she would have survived. Also, the Crown Vic is a 2009, not a 80s or 90s car. It has crumple zones, breakaways, and other modern safety features that all contribute to its exceptional crash rating. Sources for crash ratings: Versa: https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2011/NISSAN/VERSA/5%252520HB/FWD https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2011/NISSAN/VERSA/5%252520HB/F... Crown Victoria: https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2009/FORD/CROWN%252520VICTORIA/4%252520DR/RWD https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2009/FORD/CROWN%252520VICTORIA...