Cars these days are really safe and secure, and with ABS and ESP and improving suspension technology (most new cars handle OK), it is harder to crash than it used to be. Also, with extensive body strengthening beams throughout the car, even when you do crash, your chances of getting out with hardly a scratch, even after a massive crash are quite high.
However, while side airbags may now be commonplace, most cars still suffer a lack of rigidity from the side, especially when hitting a pole - most new cars, while they may do very well in the frontal crash test, perform poorly in side impacts.
Take a look at the red car in this video, possibly a Mazda3, as it slides off the road, and hits a pole at quite high speed - the car curves around the post in a very sever manner then twists around, before finally stopping. If the car had hit the same pole with its front - the safest side - then the extent of the impact would have been considerably kinder on the occupants, as the crumple zones and frontal airbags would have done their job.
Take a look at the red car in this video, possibly a Mazda3, as it slides off the road, and hits a pole at quite high speed - the car curves around the post in a very sever manner then twists around, before finally stopping. If the car had hit the same pole with its front - the safest side - then the extent of the impact would have been considerably kinder on the occupants, as the crumple zones and frontal airbags would have done their job.
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