kwackers wrote:mark a. wrote:The driver does say that it's safer to overtake in a more powerful car, and I'd probably agree, for the reasons below.
It is, but with one caveat - that you're performing the same manoeuvre you'd be doing in a less powerful car. Unfortunately that's where it falls down. What actually happens is you discover you can leave it later and overtake with less available space and longer lines of cars by making use of the cars performance. The upshot of this is that if something does go wrong the energies that need dissipating are significantly higher.
Quite possibly true. However the question is whether an Audi RS6 is, on average, more deadly than a Ford Fiesta.
I suspect not, the drivers of the former are more experienced, have more responsibility, more mature, whereas the drivers of the latter (or perhaps another car popular with new drivers) are often little more than children (17 years old is the driving age).
mark a. wrote:of you that you plan to overtake) and then accelerate. In this manner, the classic accident you describe is irrelevant whether you're in a Fiesta or an RS6, ignoring the fact that the RS6 probably has better braking.
I'm sorry that's just nonsense. Fundamentally a Fiesta brakes much better than it accelerates whereas the RS6 is much more balanced. What that means is the extra braking distance required by the Fiesta is significantly less than would be required by the RS6. From 70mph a Fiesta can easily out stop an RS6 doing 120.
Eh???? Who is doing 120mph in an RS6? Maybe someone on the motorway, but it's hardly usual. From any given speed the RS6 will out stop the Fiesta.
mark a. wrote:mark a. wrote:Whatever the case, the fact that a high-powered car is involved doesn't necessarily mean that they're hooning around dangerously.
Statistics and insurance companies seem to disagree. Hence why it costs more to insure a fast car (speaking as someone whose car is group 17.)
They are out of 50 now.
I'm not sure what statistics you've got, but the insurance cost data does not allow us to draw that conclusion.
http://www.thatcham.org/research/index.jsp?page=33Thatcham provide the Association of British Insurers with 70% of the information used to establish the insurance group of every private motor car registered in the UK. This information is derived from Thatcham's assessment of a vehicle, including the ease of vehicle repair and the level of security.
Following the internationally recognised insurance standard 15 Km/h impact, Thatcham's engineers determine the cost of parts and times to return the vehicle to its pre-accident condition. The times provided use the Thatcham Times System philosophy and are accepted as the industry standard for vehicle repair times. Data on parts is similarly supplied to the insurance industry through the Thatcham Parts System, a comprehensive database of vehicle parts and prices needed to repair an accident damaged vehicle.
A vehicle's group rating is also determined by:
The new car price, reflecting variations in trim level and the cost of settlement in the event of a 'total loss'
Vehicle performance, both the 0-60 m.p.h. acceleration and top speed
Parts Pricing from a standard list of 23 parts
A vehicle's security levels
This certainly implies that better acceleration and higher top speed means a greater insurance cost, but it's just one factor.
I would say that if I were insuring an RS6, the most relevant factor would be the cost if it were to be written off (value tens of thousands), compared to a Fiesta, which is unlikely to even be worth £10k. But sure, if you want to speculate that RS6s are more dangerous, go ahead, just don't expect it to become public policy any time soon.
