You may have seen the images above of a crash between a Smart ForTwo and Ferrari 458 Speciale doing the rounds on the internet. Judging by the front of the 458, it was clearly a hefty shunt, but the Smart seems to have fared remarkably well. The thing is, though, the dinky ForTwo is actually very safe considering its size. But how can such a tiny car, with so little room for a crumple zone, stand up to impacts so well? It’s all down to the Tridion Safety Cell that you can see below.

The cell acts as the main part of the ForTwo’s chassis. Much of it is exposed and usually painted in a different colour to the rest of the body, which is made up of plastic panels. The cell on the other hand is made from steel, and reinforced in key places. It’s incredibly strong, and cocoons the occupants in the event of a crash, passing the impact energy through the cell and around the driver and passenger.

So, if someone offers you a lift in a Smart car, don’t worry, you’re safer than you think.