Reader question:
I love convertibles. I’ve been wanting one since before I got my driver’s license and I can finally get one. It has a lot of safety features, but everywhere I go I hear that convertibles are always dangerous. Is this true? Should I go with the convertible or stick with a more safe car that I don’t really want?
Cindy
Sounds like you’re in a dilemma.
I know how you feel when it comes to dream cars. Sometimes, you’ll spend a long time planning on something and wanting it and preparing for the day that you can have it, but when it comes down to it, it just isn’t all that practical. You dream about things like ice cream and convertibles even though you know that they’re high in fat and dangerous, respectively, but these are guilty dreams because you think that you shouldn’t enjoy them.
But don’t think like that. Sure, convertibles are generally seen as more dangerous, but the truth is that all convertibles currently on the market are up to all the required standards for safety imposed by the United States government. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be able to be on the market. It’s true that convertibles aren’t on the very top of the safe list, and they do have their faults. For example, the roofs aren’t very strong and this can be dangerous when getting into a collision. They’re getting better, though, with many newer convertibles having metal roofs instead of fabric ones.
Since they don’t have normal roofs, convertibles have extra strength on the underside. That makes them feel a little less safe because of the lack of balance, but as time goes on they are becoming more and more solid. They are easier to take over bumps, but with age they start to shake a lot. Click the large arrow in the center of the image below to play video
One of the biggest safety problems with a convertible, though, is that there’s nothing to prevent you from flying out of the seat in the event of the crash besides your seat belt. Seat belts are great, but there is just so little protection in this case that it can be very deadly. Even in a regular car, a person without a seat belt can fly straight through the window and beyond. In a convertible, that last barrier isn’t there.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.