That's a natural perception about most lightweight vehicle. In fact the Aptera is classified as a motorcycle by DMV. It is true that it is only safer than the motorcycle and comparable in safety to the same sized cars.
There's a problem with most of us when it comes to safety, and that includes me in this type of thinking also. Laws of Physics dictates that usually, the heavier your vehicle is, the better are your chances of surviving in a collision, but at the expense of the lighter vehicle. Such heavier vehicles encourages aggressive behavior, but of course not everyone who drives heavier vehicles are aggressive, but significant portion will become more aggressive. So are we going into a heavier vehicles race for the sake of safety? The fuel efficiencies are drastically compromised. It takes more fuel to accelerate heavier vehicles and take a lot of power to stop them. Thus we are just buying the perception of safety for our own lives with heavier vehicles but at the expense of others who are driving the lighter vehicles. We could end up unnecessarily consuming more resources if we follow the route to safety towards purchasing the heavier vehicles.
Now applying the same laws of Physics, we can increase safety for everybody IF everyone would be driving lighter vehicles. Both drivers would have significantly higher chances of survival during a collision if the colliding vehicles are lightweight compared to if both vehicles are big heavy SUV's. This kind of proposition is actually unattainable with most of us Americans being so selfish to save our own necks, so we'd rather drive the heaviest vehicles we can afford. But the truth is, supported by the simplest of all Physics Law of inertia, is that if we all move to lighter vehicles, it would be safer for all of us than all of us racing to use heavier vehicles. Then we will also achieve much higher efficiencies and would help us conserve fossil fuels. But alas, this is exactly like the paradox of disarmament. Thus I salute all our European friends, who have on the average, moved unto smaller more efficient cars than us Americans.
Perhaps we need to impose hazard taxes on heavier vehicles because these vehicles truly make the roads unsafe. If such vehicles are used to transport commercial goods or carpooled, it should be exempted, but should be heavily penalized if their only use is the perceived increase safety of one vehicle occupant. The hazard taxes for personal use of heavier killing machines should be dependent on the weight of the machine. And for those willing to take the first step of disarmament by buying lighter but more fuel efficient cars, your sacrifice and and unselfish risks are noted for humanity.
Just my thoughts and opinions...
