As of: March 1, 2024, 7:00 a.m
By: Sebastian Grauvogl
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Good in the light vehicle business: Sepp Ströbl from Marksteiner Fahrzeughandel in Irschenberg sells Aixam vehicles.
© Stefan Schweihofer
After the serious accident involving a light vehicle in Miesbach, the question arises: How (un)safe are these vehicles really?
A dealer and a driving instructor explain things.
Miesbach
- Although the vehicle only has two seats: The two occupants of the light vehicle that collided with a truck in Miesbach on Wednesday afternoon had a guardian angel on board.
As the Miesbach police station announced yesterday when asked, the 16-year-old driver is only in the intensive care unit for observation.
The injuries suffered by the novice driver, who lives in Egling in the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district, were significantly lighter than initially assumed.
As reported, his passenger was even able to get out of the wreckage that was demolished after the truck crashed uninjured.
However, one question remains: How safe are these cars that are limited to 45 km/h?
At least significantly safer than the scooters that dominated this driver age group before their market launch, says Sepp Ströbl from Marksteiner Fahrzeughandel.
The Irschenberger has been selling the French brand Aixam since 2014.
Initially used a few times, now all of them are new from the factory.
He orders a good 30 of the cars a year, which cost up to 15,000 euros depending on the equipment, currently with a delivery time of 30 weeks.
“The demand is extremely high,” says Ströbl.
All the scooters he used to sell are now light vehicles.
Light vehicles popular in the countryside
No wonder, because of their closed design with heating, they can be used for the journey to the training center or school even in the rain and in the cold season.
Ströbl knows that this is often the only chance for young people to get from A to B around the clock, especially here in the country without sufficient bus connections.
Of course, the safety aspect is also an important topic in sales discussions with parents.
Ströbl has a clear opinion here: Thanks to the three-point belt and passenger cell made of a welded aluminum frame, the Aixam offers significantly more protection than a standard scooter or even an e-bike.
“If a truck drives into it, you won’t survive,” says the dealer.
The car also has impact protection in the doors and two pipes on which the engine and transmission would slide under the passenger cell and thus away from the occupants in the event of a frontal crash.
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Ströbl observed something else: Due to their light curb weight of less than half a ton, light vehicles offer less resistance in an accident, which reduces the impact.
Once two young boys were pushed into the meadow with an Aixam, but they didn't miss anything.
In general, the cars would often look bad after an accident, but the occupants would usually get off lightly.
More safety than scooters
The ADAC also notes that light vehicles have clearly better protection potential than scooters or mopeds.
However, if crash test standards for cars were used as a basis, the 45 km/h cars would usually perform poorly.
In addition, the risk of accidents is increased because other drivers often do not correctly assess the low speed of light vehicles.
In order to get to know how to drive, young people should actually get the required AM driving license straight away to drive a light vehicle.
However, this is not possible under current legislation.
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The Miesbach driving school owner Andreas Thaler also criticizes this.
All driving lessons and the test must take place on a scooter.
Although you can then book voluntary driving lessons in your (own) light vehicle, as a driving instructor you are not allowed to intervene in the event of errors in order to avoid liability problems.
By the way, Thaler's son drives an Ellenator.
For the Fiat 500, which is limited to 20 hp and has a reduced wheelbase on the rear axle, you need the A1 driving license, which is available from the age of 16, but you benefit from a body and safety equipment comparable to a normal small car.
Nevertheless, Thaler emphasizes that you first have to practice getting to grips with the unfamiliar vehicle operation.
Another argument for targeted driving lessons on exactly this car.
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