I wonder if the safety tops out because of the safety tests.
I hear that some (ford? gm?) high-volume pickups have extra cross-bracing, while lesser-volume trucks don't.
Or said another way - maybe lighter vehicles have necessarily extra safety tech to help with tests, but heavier ones have a limit on safety tech investment.
I wonder if a heavier volvo would have safety scale all the way up with the weight.
This is already known. Giant SUVs are more prone to rollovers and then crushing themselves and their occupants. Mid-sized and large sedans are far safer for 2 reasons: 1. structurally, they have smaller forces to contend with over a smaller surface area which makes building a safer passenger cage area easier and 2. American safety regulations for cars are more stringent than those for SUVs and pickup trucks. Instead, it's a Cambrian explosion where megafauna race to be the largest thing on the road, and screw everyone else and fuel/battery economy.
I'm wondering the same thing. Specifically on my mind are the Bollinger B1 and B2, a vaporware electric SUV and pickup (respectively) that notably didn't bother including airbags because they were so heavy that airbags weren't legally required.
I hear that some (ford? gm?) high-volume pickups have extra cross-bracing, while lesser-volume trucks don't.
Or said another way - maybe lighter vehicles have necessarily extra safety tech to help with tests, but heavier ones have a limit on safety tech investment.
I wonder if a heavier volvo would have safety scale all the way up with the weight.