Once, I was driving about 65mph on a state highway and a car pulled out of a farm road right in front of me. I had one or two seconds to react and swerve around them. They were probably going 10mph when I passed them.<p>I was driving a Toyota Camry. If I&#x27;d been driving a large truck, I probably couldn&#x27;t have avoided the crash.<p>When I buy a car, I want to know <i>both</i> how likely it is that I can avoid a crash (manueverability, stopping distance, ABS, etc) and how likely it is that I can survive one if it happens. Both are relevant.<p>Consumer Reports&#x27; 2016 Automotive Edition had a lot of discussion about car safety. Most of it was centered on technology that helps to prevent accidents or make them less severe. Eg, if your car detects that you&#x27;re about to hit something (Forward Collision Warning) and has Automatic Emergency Braking, you might not hit it, or hit it at 30mph instead of 60mph.<p>That could save your life. To say that the weight of your car is a safety factor but stopping distance isn&#x27;t is just silly.