A newer small car is as "safe" as a newer large pickup.
Are Small Cars Safe?
Course, "safe" in this context really isn't a good word to use. In order to determine how safe the vehicles actually are in the real world someone needs to remove socio-economic influences from the mix. If more young dumb people buy small cars because that's all they can afford then that will impact the outcome versus a bunch of older individuals who tend to drive in a safer manner buying luxo-yachts.