A study conducted by the Rocky Mountain Institute, an environmental group, says that light, well-designed cars will not impact the safety of passengers.
Crashworthiness is generally linked with heavier cars. Logic dictates that the heavier car will escape a car wreck will less damage and fewer injuries than lighter cars. The new study indicates that well placed crush zones and impact absorbing structural features will be able to keep lighter cars crashworthy.
The study shows that the length and design of the car are more important than weight. In addition to maintaining crashworthiness standards, a lighter vehicle will be raise gas mileage and reduce greenhouse gases.
In the United States, over 43,000 car wreck fatalities were reported last year.
The Colorado non-profit, the Rocky Mountain Institute, has received a $200,000 grant from the Hewlett Foundation to design extremely light vehicles. The vehicles will be modeled in collaboration with Dynamic Research, Inc. and will also be subject to extensive car wreck testing in order to establish crashworthiness.
Crashworthiness lawyers are working on cases in which serious injuries have cause life-long disabilities or fatalities.