mutau95

I have not been able to find any data regarding crash test on the C6. I know that my window sticker states frontal crash test were not performed but does anybody have any information on this or unfortunate first hand experience. I take my 5 year old to day camp every morning and he loves the car as much as I do and I was curious about any test. Regardless I will be keeping the car but just wanted to know how this thing would hold up if the unthinkable occurred.

gilly6993

I would imagine it has to pass Federal crash test standards just like any othe production car.....nothing to worry about IMO....

batmann

After rolling/totaling this - We walked away this with just a couple bruises....

Click on the pic for a slide show

Guitarstar

A Forum buddy of mine asked his insurance company why his policy didnt increase that much
When he purchased his C6. The insurance rep told him:
"The C6 (not the Z06) rates as well as a Volvo."
It will give up it's life to save yours in most cases, I do not recommend testing it out.

The Clevite Kid

There have been some pretty sobering photos of C6's that took a real beating and saved the passengers. Don't rely on just the airbags, be sure you and your family fasten the seatbelts EVERY TIME, even to just move it into the garage.

Walt White Coupe

The problem with the Vette in a crash is that it's so low most vehicles are going to go right over the frame into the passenger compartment especially if hit from the side. That side bar in the door might stop a bicycle but not much more. It is probably safest if hit directly in the front or rear but again the fact that it's so low to the road presents a problem that I hope to never experience.

Vet

I hate to remind everybody, but crash test or no crash test, a C6 is not the safest vehicle to be riding around in... very simply because it is small, light and super low to the ground. If you get broadsided by a big sedan or SUV it's going to be a problem, where as if you were in a big SUV yourself you might be fine. It's a simple physical thing.

C6 occupants are darn near sitting on the ground in what is more or less a plastic and aluminum sled on wheels, while surrounded by huge tall super heavy "tanks" (also known as SUVs). It's not a very safe situation really.

I'm sure in a controlled frontal impact the C6 is quite good. But in the real world, lunatics speeding through red lights in their SUVs while talking on their cell phones, scientific frontal impact data does not really reflect your actual level of real world safety.

The one thing I can say that might make us all feel a little better... a C6 is at least safer than a motorcycle! At least you are in a bit of a cage with some air bags. So if you ever wanted to ride motorcycles, you are now in a car that gets fairly close to average motorcycle performance and experience, except it's much SAFER!

The trick, like when riding a motorcycle, is to be ULTRA aware at all times while piloting the vehicle. Expect and be prepared for the worst, and hopefully you'll be able to AVOID any potential collisions. The key, with small light vulnerable vehicles, is AVOIDANCE... and it can go a long way.

Finally, you and your son have to live and ENJOY your lives. A huge SUV is safer, but you could be in a huge SUV and get slammed by a tractor trailer. Point is, anything can happen in ANY vehicle. So I'd say take your 5-year-old in the C6 and enjoy yourselves! If you are careful (I'm sure you are), chances are high that you'll be fine.

1cheesecake

I don't think that you have to worry about the Corvette....
my worries are...
how do you let him ride in the car?
is he in a safety seat or a booster seat?
is the airbag sensor adjusted correctly... so that it is turned off...

When we take the kids anywhere they are in the back seat securely strapped in!

http://www.nhtsa.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/

http://www.boosterseat.gov/

BrooklynC6

Actually , I remeber reading on AOL Autos somehere that the Vette is one of the top five safest sports cars made

However , it is true , its very low to the ground and that put you at a natrual disadvantage when colliding with a larger vehicle .

My buddy went under a school bus that jumped a stop sign - He was going about 35 in his 04 C5 . The car went right under the bus and was shaved at the doorline - poor guy literaly broke every bone in his face . After 2 weeks in a medical coma they put him back together and he looks fine , but that scared him off of Vettes !!

Drive safe everone .......

noreserve

The C6, like any Corvette, is a wedge of a vehicle that will be used as a launching ramp by most vehicles that hit you head-on. The vehicle will go right over the hood and through your windshield most likely. Doesn't really matter about that steel frame when it's so low to the ground. A side-impact will most likely be right at your head. A rear impact is not good either, given the short distance to the passenger compartment. A safe vehicle? Not in general. Maybe among sports cars, but that's about it.

Any child under 12 should be in the back seat. I have a 5 and a 7-year old that I will not let ride in the Vette. I could never live with myself if something were to happen. It would be tough for me to justify a Vette and not be able to afford another vehicle with a backseat for transporting the kids - even for rare occasions.

CessnaDriver

The biggest safety feature is the driver.

And that can compensate some for unavoidable disadvantages in the inherent design of our cars.

Green light means look for the guy about to t-bone you.

Big Lebowski

I agree with both you and Cheesecake.

I am also comforted to know GM has put as much research and effort into the saftey of the vehicle, no matter the age of the occupant.

However, the bottom line is that thing between your ears is the best safety feature you can own.

Having said all that, I do take my 5 year old with me in the vette in her booster seat. She loves it. and you are legally allowed to have a child in the front seat when there is no back seat.

But yes, they are safer in the back seat.

My 06 automatically disables the airbag based on weight. My 05 required me to manually turn it off.

I would not trade the experience and memories with my daughter riding in the vette for anything. I am however, VERY cautious when, where and how I have her in the car.

Something could happen in my Jeep Grand Cherokee just as easily as in the vette.

Life is to short to be consumed with fear and miss out on some great moments with your kid in this great car.

Big Lebowski

Walt White Coupe

I'm a little surprised at the reasoned responses so far. The last time a thread like this was put up a majority of the responders thought the C6 was as safe on the road as a Sherman Tank.

BrooklynC6

If youve seen a Vette in a bad wreck as I have , you would understand - These cars are VERY safe for what they are , but what they are is low slung pieces of plastic . You just have to be carefull...

CodyC6

I was sitting next to a trash truck the other day, and its rear "bumper" (actually a steel bar shaped like a edge of a sword) was right at my head height. If I were to run in to the back of that, the first thing that would hit would be my windshield, then my head next. It is unfortunate that in the U.S. they don't have as strict of laws about the undercarriage height of the commercial trucks as they do in other parts of the world.

lottavettes

My insurance company told me that passenger safety in a c6 ranks in the top tier safest among all vehicles. I found it hard to believe but he said they have all the statistics in front of them and that's why my rate was a little lower than for my previous car (BMW)

32valves

this is most likely due to a high % of corvettes sitting in garages as oppossed to being out in harms way. Factor that in with the owner demographic (50's male), and you can easily see how vettes are wrecked at a lower % than other cars. I doubt much of this rating has to do with the actual crash worthiness of the vehicle. That said, with all of the latest safety tech, all new cars are much better than vehicles from 15 years ago.

Walt White Coupe

mvcrash

Bean counters don't make mistakes. The death rates are calculated by passenger mile. The Corvette is cheap to insure because the death/injury rates are low, make no mistake about it. Also, if you want to say the Corvette is unsafe due to the low center of mass and the height of the frame rails you'll have to include 70% of the non-suv/pick-up type vehicles on the road. The fact is if you are broadsided by an SUV in any type sedan, depending on speed, you can be in a world of trouble.
However, if a sedan or Corvette were to broadside an SUV at a similar speed, the SUV would roll-over and most likely the occupants would sustain serious injuries.
You choose you poison, the only way to survive is to drive defensively. Most Corvette owners do this because they are motor-heads and don't want anything to happen to the Corvette. They drive carefully and therefore the death rates are low.