In a 30mph head on collision, would you rather be in a '57 Caddy hitting an '06 Prius, or vice versa?

MK6

Cadillac.

Because size matters.

Edit....
Here's a few ideas to support my idea..
1. 30mph + 30mph = 60mph combined speed.
2. Since the Prius has 35% of the 'mass' and the Cadillac has 65%, - the Cadillac will hit the Prius and roll forward, while the Prius will stop 'dead' and roll backwards after the impact.
3. You can make-up any numbers you want, - but the Cadillac would go from 30mph to 10mph, and roll forward, say 60 feet, and the Prius would go from +30mph to -10mph, and be pushed back, say, 1/2 a football field.
4. The Cadillac would have a net loss in speed of 20mph, while the Prius would have a net loss of 40mph.

Since you used the term "survive", - you might get a concussion or a broken nose in the Cadillac, but while in the Prius, - you might get a neck injury or weaken your artery near your heart, - and have it rupture 4 hours later. Or have internal bleeding, etc.

Chris Y

Prius.

The Prius has more safety features. Also, the '57 Cadillac is old. Cars back then weren't meant to crumple, the material was tough. Because of this, the driver/passenger(s) get(s) hurt more. New cars crumple and absorb the impact, as opposed to the people absorbing the impact.

CowboyBill

This is a trick question, right? ANY '06 vehicle will fair much, much better in a head-on collision with a '57 Caddy. Remember, the Caddy has no padded dash, most likely no seatbelts, a sternum crushing soild steering wheel and column and absolutely NO crush-zone engineering built into the massive frame and unistructure. The car may survive but what's left of you would be scraped off with a putty knife and the interior would simply be hosed off before selling the tank to someone else.

dual_reality

I'll take the caddy...not only would I survive..but the damage would be negligible.

gearnofear

I would take the Toyota. Unless you had added seat belts to the caddy (They where an Option for the 57) you would suffer serious injuries. Granted the caddy would have less damage simply because all of the energy would be absorbed by the Toyota. Now if youâ€™re talking a 45 MPH accident 45+45 is a 90 MPH Impact. The Toyota is tested up to 75 MPH and Caddy likely was never tested and you would most likely be killed. Just because it is big and heavy does not mean it is survivable. Safety matters and has saved more people with the more improvements they have.

Krayden

The one that came out the best.

regerugged

The Toyota. In 1957 Cadillacs did not have seat belts. Caddy's did not have front crush zones. They did not have air bags. If one were still around, it would probably have lots of hidden rust damage.
When seat belts first came out, they were only lap belts. If your Caddy were retrofitted with lap belts and you hit the OV at 30 mph, chances are good your face would hit the steering wheel column. In those days steering wheels were not dish shaped like later vehicles.
The Toyota driver's face would hit the air bag. Which would you prefer?

Eskimo Mom

would prefer the Caddy in a 30mph head on collision. It isn't just size that matters. It is also the composition of the body of the car. 57 Caddy's have more steel than fiberglass & plastic, even if the car has been renovated. It will take a lot more abuse than the Prius.

Carrie M

cadillac it weighs more

Jim J

I would definately get a Prius. Even though I would get killed by a larger, heavier vehicle, it would be worth going to an early grave because the earth is going to be an oven due to global warming. I would die knowing that I did my part to save the earth.

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