Let me begin with a tongue in cheek halfbakery type suggestion before proceeding to my real idea.

Tank Utility VehicleTank manufactures should produce family vehicles. People would pay extra for a vehicle so strong that in a crash the Hummer driver would break every bone in his body before they would even get a scratch. The other advantages are even more compelling. If the car in front of you is going too slow, you can simply blast it. The ability to do U-turns over the highway divider would be useful in case of a quick change of plans. There would be no shortage of people interested in buying such a vehicle. We have a Constitutional right to bear arms. We should have the right to drive them as well.

And now for my real idea: Crash Avoidance Stats

Everyone knows how likely each vehicle is to hold up in a crash. This is one of the primary reasons why people like to buy larger vehicles. The more steel you have protecting you, the more likely you are to be able to walk away unharmed from an accident. You therefore have an "evolution of the dinosaurs" type situation where people get larger cars to be better protect themselves from everyone else's larger cars.

Just as important though as to how likely you are to survive a crash, is how likely you are to avoid one in the first place. There are things that car manufacturers could do to make a vehicle better equipped to avoid a crash, but since the public is not aware of such published statistics, they would not be willing to pay more for such a vehicle and so it is not worth it for companies to invest in such technologies. The same organizations that publish crash survival information should also publish stats of how likely each vehicle is to crash in the first place. Once customers are aware of such information and begin to inquire about it, car manufacturers will begin to invest in and advertise such features. Ideal would be if new cars were required to list such information as they do fuel efficiency. It may even discourage cars advertisements from showing scenes that could only be done by a professional driver on a closed course.

What do you think of this idea or comment?
(You can change your vote at any time)

I agree

No opinion

I disagree