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The Smart car is basically an armored telephone booth ie a well designed unibody. It is proper restraints, material strength and chassis geometry that allows a F1 driver to survive a high speed crash. The traditional frame and body design for full sized cars, light commercial vehicles, and yes many SUVs does not crash well. Mass alone will not save you. The engine and transmission are held in the frame by three 3/8" bolts in rubber. The body is attached to the frame by a handful of smaller bolts. Newer vehicles are somewhat better since some smaller SUVs and crossover vehicles are based on car plateforms. The videos are chilling not because I haven't seen crashes before but because I used to have to drive a similar van on the job.
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