"Calif Bill" wrote:

In the case of a collision, I'd rather be thrown from the bike rather than
compacted in
the 'smart' coffin.

Wes

Actually the crash cage in the Smart seems to hold up well. But anything
inside the cage is broken as they is very little crash deformation.

I'm a big fan of cars designed to crumple up to a point, sucking up energy in deformation
while keeping passenger compartment integrity. I read an article in Scientific American a
while back about technology in the Mercedes that was designed to break away, crumple, ect
to protect the passengers. I'm not sure if that was a puff piece or what but if I had the
resources, I'd be driving the most survivable car on the market. I figure in my 26-30,000
miles a year of all winter, er all season (Freudian slip) driving a traffic accident is my
most likely chance of not drawing social security.

Wes