07 Accord does not have Active Head Restraints.

The reason the Accord doesnt have it is because it is a lame duck model that will be replaced with a new generation next year.

Same reason why the Civic has the ACE body structure; the Accord doesnt.

 

Thanks, missed that bit then!

 

jeez.. who wanna crash the car any way....

people that crash = incompettent at driving..

 

Sometimes you cant prevent people from crashing into you...

Also, no one is perfect. And even professional race car drivers crash too.

 

It may stand to reason that the subcompacts are not as safe as larger cars, but when Edmunds' site states, "What this means to you: Forget the high price of gas when you're car shopping. Your safest choice is something big and heavy", I become concerned about the Fit losing trade/resale value. I haven't even made my first payment. Gonna get this one traded off, PDQ!

 

I saw a new Civic sedan that had been hit really hard in the back by a mid-80s Monte Carlo on the side of the freeway last week. There wasnt a trunk anyomre, and as far as I could tell the 2 women who had been in the Civic were standing next to it taking pictures.

 

As RedAndy was saying, LOTS of other cars, trucks, and SUVs of all types have the same rating for rear impact as the Fit. I say 'meh' and remind all that the Fit has a 5-star rating for front and side impact from the big safety rating board. It also seems a little suspect when the newsfolk tell people to go buy bigger vehicles. Sell more American iron and gasoline to please the sponsors?
Fark.com had a thread on this subject and it was full of people making fun of Scion and Yaris and showing photos of their giant pickup trucks. It was kind of sad. One Trollperson said that putting a child in a compact car was child abuse. Some folks with big trucks seem to get cocky and cruel about small cars and how they will squash them. Did I say it was sad? As JessW1982 was saying, there is always someone bigger out there and I've seen some photos to prove it, including Hummer vs. Schoolbus. Not much left of the Hummer.
Bottom line is that I feel safe to put my beloved children in the Fit, even though I'm eye level with a big truck bumper. Our last car was a wallowing, squishy braking minivan with two airbags and too much momentum. I feel like I know what is going to happen in the Fit when I hit the brakes or turn in a hurry and what will happen will be good. I can only hope for the best about other drivers in their wallowing giant vehicles.

 

Bingo - my feelings exactly. One thing I'd have to add -because the drivers position is pretty high off the ground, my girlfriend actually feels safe in the Fit, which, as far as I can tell, is at least as important as actually being safe.

For some reason, this drivers height thing is one of the reasons she's always been afraid of small cars. I showed her the NTSB crash test results before buying - didn't really help. A lecture of the virtues of side air bags, antilock brakes, helped a little. Pulled up next to her when she's sitting in her Camry, and I'm actually sitting a bit higher, and now all is right with the world

 

EXACTLY! Thank you, I totally agree! At first, I was like, "hhmmm, should've gotten the Accord" then I saw the rating and was thinking about those idiot journalists who fail to realize that larger cars also rate POORLY in the rear end test given by IIHS. So to all those Fit haters... Keep your gas-sucking SUV's and don't complain when you fill the tank.. You asked for it...

 

A friend recently was rear-ended by an unlicensed, uninsured driver. Her Element's bumper popped right out and is virtually undamaged; his Monte Carlo front end was crushed in. He managed to drive away and was picked up later and arrested. She's fine -- a little sore the next day. Is the Monte Carlo considered a "bigger, heavier car"? The biggest problem I see around my area is that people who feel safer in a big vehicle are often the idiot drivers who can't keep that big vehicle in the lane, are terrified and timid and do stupid things that cause accidents. I firmly believe that the media hype about buying big vehicles is due to pressure from sponsors. The new generation of small, well-built and comfortable cars (most of them by Honda and Toyota, who have always, always been in the vanguard of safety features, while Detroit was dragged along kicking and screaming) is scaring the wits out of the gas hog manufacturers. If Honda suddenly started major t.v. advertising of the Fit, and spending big bucks on it, the message would change.

 

I can relate! I got rear-ended on my old school vespa while at a stop light, so decided to go with six-air-bags and abs.... a millions times more safe. At least I'm hoping!

 

Here's a crash test story. So one day I decided to test the Fit's snow and off-road abilities and attempted to jump over the concrete barrier. Apparently I didn't have enough speed and I ended up stuck on the barrier while popping the passenger side airbags (front/back).

Result: busted.

 

The solution is not to make all cars heavier, it is to make all cars smaller lighter and stronger using advanced materials.
Having a heavier car actually hurts you in single car crashes. If a Fit hits a Fit you'd be fine, If my '92 Civic weighing in at 1900lbs hits my Fit I'd be fine. If a Semi hit my Fit well I'd be screwed but "you" would be too if you were in a '99 F150. It's all about kinetic energy.

 

I'd always subscribed to the theory that smaller, lighter vehicles are more adept at avoiding crashes in the first place. The last thing you want is to be in a big, heavy vehicle that isn't nimble enough to handle a lane change at speed, or worse: can't stop in time to avoid these sorts of incidents.

More weight means your tires have to work exponentially harder to do the same thing a smaller, lighter car can do with ease. Be it cornering, braking, acceleration or any combination thereof. So a small, lightweight car like the Fit is perfect for getting out of sticky situations like accidents, careless drivers or, at the very least, minimizing the damage incurred by being able to slow down faster (thus a softer hit).

 

last month someone t-boned me in my fit. The side airbags not only saved my face from being cut into shredds but maybe saved my life.