crashes between heavy vehicles and light ones will be a rare exception.

Safety ratings will have to reflect the norm, not the exception.

My Audi had side and seat airbags (8 total) 9 years ago. Where has everyone else been? Twiddling their thumbs. The asian brands only now mention side and head or 8 airbags. They’re about 9 years too late. You want it you have to pay for it, and you are. They don’t include them for free.

“Important: frontal crash test ratings can be compared only among vehicles of similar weight; side impact crash test ratings can be compared across vehicle type and weight categories.”

I would assume they say this because of the difference in length of vehicles vary so greatly. But side tests, which are harder to pass, are judged the same across the board.

Seriously, you think car safety is a bad thing? People who can only afford a Civic shouldn’t get good safety? They should pay more for a Taurus to be completely safe?

And only one very small car is a Top Safety Pick, the Honda Fit. And that happened just this year. No Smart et al get the nod. As for NHTSA they are reevaluating their system because it turns out too many five star ratings.

But this only applies to people who own German cars, as I always will.

I don’t trust or give a flying F about consumer reports or any other US media reports on cars. Americans are not “with it” when it comes to understanding automobiles, plain and simple.