A micro-sized Smart car met a Philadelphia police SUV in the worst possible way early this morning.
The collision happened a little after 2 a.m. on the 4200 block of North Reese Street in the Hunting Park neighborhood of Pennsylvania. Officers in the SUV were canvassing the area for a suspect in a domestic assault case.
They moved through the neighborhood without lights or sirens. Suddenly, a Smart car carrying two women struck the driver’s side of the cruiser…hard.
Philly Police Chief Inspector Scott Small responded at the scene
According to CBS News, he explained that both women suffered head and facial injuries but stayed conscious and alert.
The officer behind the wheel reported injuries to his face. His partner said he felt pain but remained responsive.
Small pointed out that the Smart car’s airbags likely prevented the women from suffering much worse trauma. The police SUV’s driver’s side airbags also deployed.
Everyone involved went to a nearby hospital and doctors listed them in stable condition.
The Smart car’s very small footprint
The Smart brand released in the United States came from Daimler, the same parent company behind Mercedes-Benz.
The Fortwo, which was the main model sold here, measured about 8.5 feet long. That’s about 40% smaller than a Honda Civic, by the way.
It offered seating for two, rear-engine packaging, and fuel economy that was excellent on paper.
Owners could choose a gas model or the electric drive version in later years. Standard equipment stayed simple. Light steering, basic infotainment, and a minimalist cabin defined the car’s charm and its compromises.
U.S. sales never reached big numbers. By the time Smart pulled out of the American market in 2019, the brand sold only a few hundred cars that year.
A crash like this invites the obvious question about how size plays into safety
Especially this week, as President Trump professed his blooming love of kei cars, which he wants OEMs to build here. Everyone survived in this accident, which is more than you can say for many clashes between a featherweight commuter and a heavy SUV.
