There are some people that are scared of driving a small car, especially on our highways filled with trucks and SUVs. While physics might not be on your side, modern safety features mean that your ability to survive a wreck in a small car is exponentially better than in the past.
The European New Car Assessment Programme or NCAP, was founded in 1997 to improve the crash worthiness and survivability on all cars sold in Europe. While their tests may somewhat controversial, especially when a car like the Ford Mustang scores only two stars despite being safer than two stars in all other categories, the NCAP crash tests serve as impressive chronology on how far safety tech has come.
If you drove something like a Rover hatchback in the mid ’90s, you were pretty much toast in a serious collision. However, advancements in crumple zones, structural rigidity and airbags, among other solutions, means that buying a small car is no longer a rolling death trap if the worst-case scenario happens.