[ExI] fuel economy vs danger

[Rafal Smigrodzki]

On Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 7:26 AM, BillK <pharos at gmail.com> wrote:

> There are just too many variables in real world cases to make a
> general statement that big cars stop quicker.

### Ceteribus paribus, heavier cars stop later which is a feature, not
a bug. In a collision with an object of relatively low mass (such as
another car), it is better to be the relatively heavier car, since
your deceleration will be much less extreme than the deceleration of a
person in the relatively lighter car. A semi will decelerate little
while smashing a Hummer to smithereens, and these smithereens could
still smash an econobox.

This leads to an interesting thought: What kind of equilibrium
regarding prevalent car weights would form if there was no state
interference with human desires? How many would opt for driving
Bradleys? How many would rather save the gas money and go for the
nimbleness of an Exige?

Since head-on collisions are uncommon, the actuarial incentive to
spend on a Bradley would not be that large but the cool factor would
attract some users. Certainly, driving while free (i.e. stateless)
would be an interesting experience.

Rafal