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May 14, 2008
Smart got the highest rating of 'Good' for front crash protection.
The tiniest car sold in the USA posted some of the best crash-test results, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety will announce Wednesday, according to USA Today.
The Smart ForTwo, the twin-seat micro that's so small that two can fit in a single parking space, earned the top rating in front- and side-impact crash tests. It was rated "acceptable" for whiplash protection in rear-end crashes, the agency says.
There's an important caveat: While the frontal tests do a good job of replicating a crash against a fixed object, there is no overcoming the laws of physics when it comes to crashes against larger, heavier vehicles such as SUVs and big pickups.
"All things being equal, bigger and heavier is always better," says institute President Adrian Lund. "But among the smallest cars, the engineers of the Smart did their homework and designed a high level of safety into a very small package."
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth 
at 10:38 AM to Safety
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