>>What makes you say that?
>
>Two reasons:
>1) more steel means the occupant space will remain better intact
>2) more steel means your vehicle will deccelerate slower then the light car

I'd say you're over-simplifying.
There's a lot of design going into force distribution in the fronts of cars. Sides too.
The "Smart Car" looks like a death trap by your yardstick.
>
>Notice when a large SUV collides with an average car. Often the driver of the truck will walk away. This is exaggerated with dump trucks and semis.

Dump trucks and semis are a different story. They also have things fly off of them that kill people too.
I'm not so sure that SUV drivers 'walk away' from crashes any more than the drivers of "regular cars". There's the possibility of an urban myth there, in my opinion.

>
>>If you're a half decent driver I don't think you should let fear drive your choice of vehicles.
>
>http://www.statisticstop10.com/Causes_of_Death_in_US.html
>
>Car accidents are the number 1 (or two) reasons for death not related to lifestyle. Think about it. We all know someone that has died or been seriously injured in a car accident. Much like we all know someone that has died from cancer.

And what does that have to do with 'small cars' again? Other than "logic" says they should be safer?

>
>Death by car accident is under-appreciated by the average person. It is much more realistic to have a fear of being in a car than a fear of flying.

Sure. And a war on accidents makes much more sense than a war on terrorism too.
But I must say I've noticed that today's new parents (my daughter and son being prime examples) way way overplay the 'gotta protect the kids' thing.
I'm betting that the injuries/deaths of SUV occupants in accidents is no better than the same measure for non-SUVs. I have no idea how to 'prove' that, but I do believe that 'bigger is safer' is more myth than fact when it comes to SUVs versus cars.