Are Sports Cars Safe to Drive?

Sports cars are attractive and fun to drive, but do they provide adequate safety? Although this may not be a top priority for performance car buyers in Michigan, people often drive these vehicles in ways that make safety especially important.

Crash Tests

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regularly tests autos to determine how well they survive front, rear and side impacts. Sports car drivers will be happy to learn that multiple recent models have earned the NHTSA's five-star rating.

It's worth mentioning that a few exceptions remain. For example, some sports cars are also convertibles. These vehicles have become far less dangerous during the past few decades, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Nonetheless, they're still not as safe as hardtop vehicles.

Perhaps a motorist who seeks a safe sports car decides to look at a 2016 Mustang Dearborn. He or she will discover that this vehicle has a five-star NHTSA crash test rating. It earned "good" IIHS scores in four areas and an "acceptable" rating in the fifth category.

The same car comes with an assortment of safety features. It has a standard backup camera that can prevent parking-related collisions. Intelligent headlights, side airbags and traction control help to keep passengers safe. Motorists also benefit from knee airbags and antilock brakes.

Attributes

Most performance-oriented cars share some of the same design characteristics. They tend to offer limited rear-window visibility, but a backup camera can partially mitigate this problem. A comparatively low weight and compact dimensions may increase damage in collisions with larger autos.

Although some sports cars provide front-wheel drive, many use rear-wheel drive to maximize performance. They also come with summer tires. This may affect safety by reducing traction during Michigan's long winters. However, drivers can gain better results by installing studded snow tires on these vehicles.

The high-performance design of a sports car keeps drivers safe in some ways. It can turn sharply with greater ease. Muscle cars aren't top-heavy, so they're less prone to roll-overs than SUVs or trucks. This type of automobile also usually comes to a stop sooner than a large vehicle.

To sum it up, sports cars are safer in some ways and not others. The same is true for any major type of vehicle. Motorists may take steps to compensate for the drawbacks. They can also stay safe by avoiding aggressive driving practices and excessive speeds.