I would like to know everyone's thoughs on car safety.

What is important to you when you are paranoid on the road? Do you emphasize active safety (good drivability), or passive safety (good crashability)? Would you buy a better performing car over an "indestructible," but abysmal handling car like a truck? Do you think it's a matter of how safe your car is or how safe your driving is? Would you buy a more massive car (massive cars supposedly have less fatalities in accidents) or a sports car if you wanted to?

Active safety would be along the lines of handling, stability control, braking, acceleration, basically related to the driver's control of the car.
Passive safety would be more like airbags, size, color/noticability, roll bar, roll cage, crumple zones.

Personally, I would lean towards peformance unless it was truely one of the worst to crash. I believe a good driver wouldn't decide to buy a car under the possibilties from crashing it.

Well I suppose in a perfect world if my car wouldn't be damaged if some idiot hit me, I'd go for the indestructable car.

But since that won't happen I'd rather the idiots drive safely.

I don't really factor in the car as far as how good my driving is. I just pay attention. That's all you really need to do. Pay attention, and play out the scenerios in your head, as far as the cars around you and ahead of you that could affect your situation. Then decide if you need to take any action (moving over lanes if you think a car might turn out in front of you, or switch into your lane without seeing you, etc).

Also, I don't think speeding is so bad as long as you're smart about it and know when and where to speed.

Hmm. If I had to choose one of the 2, I would choose "good drivability". Most accidents can be avoided by using common sense and good handling (and good reaction time too). I assume the second option comes with poor brakes?

Road... safety?

lol

If the second option ensues that I am in an accident while driving a tank, then I'm all for it.

Screw good driving, accidents aren't called accidents because they're predictable.

I do the exact same thing and it has worked very well for me.

Driving well is more important than crashing well in the long run, but driving well requires a good driver, not just good handling. When it comes right down to it, there's no reason why a good driver can't drive a safe (from a crashing standpoint) car.

Prevention is better than cure. If we were all better drivers there would be no need for so many safety features.

That said, I wouldnt think twice about buying the most un-safe car in the world if it looks good, drives real good, and was affordable. Dont really care if I powerslide through the pearly gates backwards in a fireball, as long as I look good doing it.

Plus mantrain.

That's how I feel.

85% of accidents are caused by driver error. I read it on the internet so it must be true. If we were all good drivers we'd have 85% less accidents.