Why do they make cars outta Plastic well fiberglass?

Question

its like they want pple to die .. u could be goin 10 mPH and your car will get damaged or break apart ..i understand its cheaper but when your dealin with peoples life money shouldnt matter. i lost a friend in an accident and i bet if the car was metal he wouldve lived but had small injuries

Answer 1

cost

Answer 2

Fiber glass bodies have the same strength as metal ones. Industry standards are tough and they have to provide equal or superior protection to passengers. Boats have been made from fiberglass as well for at leas the last 50 years. The well fiberglass you refer too is thin walled and only a few layers, that's why it's light weight and flexible.

Answer 3

There are a few reasons, but there are very few cars that are made completely out of plastic or fibreglass.

Most cars have a steel/aluminum chassis or subframe to them. As for plastics, many times they are the fascias, trim, and other parts that are not essential for the integrity of the car.

But, even in the 70's and 80's, cars were made out of fibreglass, and were extremely safe. This is the case of the Bricklin SV-1.

All cars must meet a minimum safety requirement, which is very strict, otherwise cars would be made out of plastic, and everyone would be driving a 3 ton Little Tykes car.

But the reasons for using plastic benefit both the manufacturer and the driver. It's cheaper to produce plastic parts, and they're lighter, therefore your fuel mileage will increase.

What kind of car was your friend driving, and what were the particulars of the accident? I was in an accident where I was driving a Pontiac Fiero, which had a fibreglass body, and was hit by a person driving a Pontiac Grand Am. The driver of the Grand Am died, and I had a broken leg. It all depends on the particulars of the accident.

Answer 4

Sorry for your loss, but at the speeds that most cars travel at it isn't actually the covering metal/plastic that matters but the "roll cage" that you can't see. When the side of a car is as thin as it is, when hit at high speed it doesn't matter if it's titanium or paper, it's going to be punctured. The roll cage prevents that kind of damage.