Small cars and future highway safety.

Progress toward a more efficient U.S. automobile fleet with reduced average vehicle size and mass has precipitated studies of injury risk to small car occupants and projections of future traffic fatalities. Unfortunately, the importance of vehicle size and mass is often left either obscure or over emphasized relative to other factors influencing highway safety. This review indicates the influence of reduced vehicle size and mass is small relative to potential effects of increased vehicle miles travelled or restraint usage.