By the same token, driving the Impala would not likely be as safe as a driving a four-star Dodge Caravan minivan (1801 kg) in a collision between those two vehicles, or a Caravan as safe as a four-star Ford Explorer SUV (1984 kg) for the driver if they collided.
Because every crash is different, it is true that there are no guarantees on which occupants will have a better chance of surviving or escaping serious injury. But in a overall statistical sense, the odds are always on the side of the person in the heavier vehicle.
This is a reality first determined by Mother Nature and understood by scientists and government agencies en masse.
The agency that crashes cars in Europe (NCAP) puts it this way: ''From the laws of physics, all other things being equal, heavy cars do better than light cars when they are involved in a frontal impact.''
Australia's crash test agency says ''It is important to note that ratings should only be used to compare vehicles of similar mass or vehicle type.'''
Groups concerned about the affects of pollution on society (such as the Union of Concerned Scientists) have studied the safety results of lighter vehicles and determined that they would cause hundreds of extra deaths on the road.
A special committee of the National Research Council in the U.S. found that ''declines in the size and weight of cars that have occurred since those Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards took effect have led to increased fatalities.''
Despite all that evidence about the greater safety levels in heavier vehicles, some car companies are actually increasing their claims about the safety of their small vehicles.
For example, Volkswagen AG in Germany recently put out a press release calling the new Golf model (which is due in Canada soon) ''The Safest Car,'' claiming that ''the new Volkswagen Golf is the safest car that has ever been tested by Euro NCAP,'' even though NCAP makes it clear that isn't true.
But perhaps the greatest question consumers should have about auto company safety claims involves Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. and the Smart micro-car the company will import this fall.
The president and CEO of Toronto-based importer of German cars is making the claim that the Smart (730 kg) is safe or safer than vehicles that are much larger than it is.
On a tape of a TV show called AutoTech supplied by Mercedes-Benz Canada, Marcus Breitschwerdt says, "This little car has a better safety rating and better behavior in a crash than many cars that are much larger, and I would prefer in case of a crash to sit in that than in many of the big, big SUVs."
In a follow-up interview, Mercedes-Benz Canada's marketing director, JoAnne Caza, was unable to supply specifics as to exactly which vehicles Breitschwerdt was talking about. She suggested that it wasn't actually the company's official policy to make that claim about Smart's relative safety, but was instead ''a personal opinion.''