The Smart Fortwo is a safe car, at least in some circumstances, according to the insurance industry's car safety watchdog.  The AP explains, "The smallest car for sale in the U.S. market, has earned top scores in crash tests conducted by the insurance industry.  The 8-foot, 8-inch vehicle received the highest rating of good in front-end and side-impact testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, helping address some concerns that consumers may be more vulnerable in the tiny two-seater."  It received a score of "acceptable" -- the Institute's second-highest rating -- for whiplash protection in rear-impact accidents. 

IIHS tests are considered the toughest in the auto industry. 

The Institute, however, did not endorse the tiny car for all types of driving.    IIHS spokesman Russ Rader told CNN Money that, "Even if the Fortwo improved its whiplash protection, it would not be named a Top Safety Pick. The institute does not have a specific size requirement, but the Fortwo is simply too small to be considered safe under all conditions, including highway driving." 

Kicking Tires quotes Institute President Adrian Lund saying, "Among the smallest cars, the Smart engineers did their homework and designed a high level of safety into a small package."  But, he said, "The risk of death is higher in crashes of smaller, lighter models. All things being equal, bigger and heavier is better."

In crash tests conducted by the federal government, the Fortwo also achieved good scores.  In those tests, the driver's side door of the Fortwo opened on impact.  Though the government issued a "safety concern" because that isn't supposed to happen, the dummies in that test were well protected and would not have been seriously injured.  The AP reports, "When the IIHS conducted its side test, the driver door also became unlatched. But the institute said the injury measurements on the test dummy were low and the opening didn't affect the dummy's movement."

In a video available on the IIHS website (click the first link, "First Institute crash tests of Smart car," under "Crashworthiness Evaluations"), Lund tells viewers "A key aspect of protecting occupants in frontal crashes is the crush of the front end.  But you can see that the Smart Fortwo doesn't have much front end, and it doesn't crush much in our crash tests.  As a result, the vehicle rebounds violently off of our barrier, and the restraint system, the seatbelts and airbags have to do of the more work of protecting the occupants." 

That's the particular challenge of the Smart, and the reason many automotive experts are skeptical of the safety of taking the car on the highway.  A car doesn't just have to maintain a safe space for the occupants in an accident; it also has to slow them down gradually, to avoid damage to their organs, even as the car itself slows rapidly from the crash.  With no crumple zones, it isn't clear that the Smart can do that at highway speed.

When video of the IIHS test leaked to the web earlier, safety experts expressed concern that the Fortwo ricochets violently off the crash sled, spinning more than 270 degrees and several carlengths to the side.  That's highly unusual -- and outside the testing lab, that's not one accident.  It's potentially a series of them unfolding across multiple lanes.

What do you think of the little car? 

We're happy to see the Smart do well in the tests, but like IIHS, we're skeptical of the safety of these things at highway speed.  It's a terrific city car, it's already a cute cultural icon, and its ability to park in half a space could have tremendous utility in urban areas.  But we're glad the institute cautioned drivers that these aren't highway cruisers.  Tell us your thoughts -- would you ride in one at city speed?  At highway speed?

Compare the Smart to other affordable small cars with U.S. News car rankings and reviews.