Spare wheel is crash protection

[Bainford]

I'm more worried about a side impact. However, I claim that my TCS is safer than a motorcycle. No idea if it's true, but that's what I claim.

I have frequently made the opposite claim, that my Europa is considerably less safe than a motorcycle. As JB mentioned, a motorcycle rider is much more visible in traffic due to a higher visual signature, on a bike I am always wearing a helmet, and if all else fails, the motorcycle offers the 'Hail Mary' option of bailing. None of this is true in the Europa.

Front or side impact in a Europa would be bad news. It is nothing but a thin fiberglass shell with no impact absorbing structure whatsoever. The side I often think about is something coming up through the floor. I've smacked the bottom of the car hard on the asphalt on a couple of occasions, and it really gets your attention. It gets you thinking.

[GavinT]

I'd have thought the front impact situation isn't all that bad . . . at least from the the small number I've seen.
Side impact, though, could be very problematic.

IIRC, the Excel won a safety award in the US, all down to the impact absorbing nature of fibreglass.

[BDA]

Thankfully I've never been in a serious accident in my car. I was hit a sort of glancing blow near the driver's side front wheel. I wasn't hit that hard but it bent my suspension, the frame T section, and messed up the fiberglass around the headlight.

The other time I was in an "incident", I ran into an aluminum pedestrian partition that was weighted down with sandbags. I hit it head on at about probably 30mph with my brakes locked up. I closed my eyes and imagined the entire front of the car disintegrating in a shower of fiberglass but when I opened them there was really very little damage. The front bumper was bent a little, scratched some paint, and I may have busted a turn signal lamp. I think the bumper does a good job of spreading the load across the front of the car, but I don't think it would help you much if you hit something solid like a car. They are not cars to have an accident in!

[3929R]

I wouldn't argue that a Europa is more visible than a bike (I have and have had multiple but nearly all of my ridding has been off road), but at least Lotus Yellow is more visible than nearly all other options, except maybe Colorado Orange.

[BDA]

I seem to remember that many years ago Mercedes did a study on car color and found that averaging all weather conditions (presumably, snow was included in the study), white was the most visible. I don't remember a ranking but it would not surprise me that yellow was rated highly as well. I agree that Orange is a color that's tough to beat for visibility. Maybe orange was not one of the colors they tested.

[Bainford]

Perhaps part of the problem is that my car is painted tawny, which is a colour that nearly disappears into the background. The biggest problem in traffic is the lack of height; the Europa just doesn't show up in a cursory glance in the mirror of many cars, and pretty much any SUV/pick-up, especially those operated by the average (read; un-engaged, self-absorbed) driver, whilst a motorcycle and rider will have enough height to at least make an appearance in the mirror.

When it comes to rural driving, where you can easily be seen by any driver looking before pulling out into the road, I think the overall small size of the Europa is the main culprit. I can't be certain about this, but incidents of drivers pulling out right in front of me, after stopping at a stop sign and looking for traffic, are significantly more frequent in the Europa than on a motorcycle. It happens so often (and I always drive with the headlights on) that I have had many opportunities to observe and consider why this happens. As near as I can determine, the small size of the Europa on the open road makes it appear as though it is much farther away than it actually is when observed casually, and drivers therefore think they have plenty of time to pull out. Again, the tawny colour probably doesn't help. And just like a motorcycle rider who is a keen defensive driver, you can usually anticipate when someone is going to pull out in front of you before they show any sign that they will. Diligence in defensive driving is a must.

[4129R]

If you think a Europa is hard to see, try driving a GT40 at speed down country lanes.

It is so low, people do not see you.

Blind brows are a real hazard.

Dipped headlights (low beam) are dazzling.

I do not drive at night, or in wet weather, and have my headlights on, for both the Europa, and the GT40.

[buzzer]

There's only 2 inches in it! less if its been lowered!

[jbcollier]

Yup, everyone's lights are in your eyes, high beam and dip.

[literarymadness]

Hey my Europa is Colorado Orange and people definitely see me, but the real problem I see is that most drivers of SUVs and large sedans don't respect ANY small car let alone a Europa.  I live in South Florida and drive in both local Miami and Ft. Lauderdale traffic and on Interstate 95.  Drivers look right at you and then cut you off thinking you have no choice other than to get out of their way.  I also drive a Ford Fiesta and I have the same problem with that car and other drivers.  But at least in the Fiesta, I don't get tailgaters with one hand on the wheel and the other on a cellphone taking photos of my car five feet behind me at 70+ mph speeds.  I was told about the spare tire as safety protection barrier when I first got my car so removing it was never a part of my weight reduction plan (I think a Brand Lotus rim weighs 13 lbs.)--even if it is a placebo, it makes me think less about my feet being just right behind the front bumper. 

[StephenH]

most drivers of SUVs and large sedans don't respect ANY small car let alone a Europa

I find when driving my large, flat paneled, blunt edged and very white 2.5tonne Land Rover that size makes little or no difference!
Especially to those that don't look anyway.....

[gideon]

I get dazzled from behind in my Subaru Impreza by pickup trucks with dipped headlights.  The headlights are mounted so high that they don't have to be very close to still be dazzling.  Most, I think, are unaware that they are dazzling the (relatively) small car in front.  In the US, headlights have to be no higher than 54".  The Impreza is 58" high. 

[dakazman]

Gideon,
   I agree with you on that and can go off on these new led headlights and drivers at night blinding everyone on the road.

  I also ride a bike and am an aggressive rider when alone. With a passenger I an on guard and am 5 moves ahead of staying away from or getting trapped into a compromising situation. I intend to drive my lotus like I spent several years putting it together . I can’t stop people who tailgate in the right lane doing 75 in a 70. I have no accidents or speeding tickets in  30+years of driving.
Allstate dropped me after 30 years of driving with no accidents and just said I was due and that they would not continue my insurance... yes it’s true.  I hate insurance companies also ... venting a bit...
dakazman

[Rosco5000]

The small cars seem to get miss judged so much.  It seems to me that the human mind doesn't seem to quickly judge speed and small items well.  What I mean is that a bike or small car seems to be a constant area where other drivers misjudge the actual closing speed of the vehicles.  I have more than once had this happen in my Mini(original) and Europa.  Nobody these days expect them to be fast, seems to be the human condition to figure the small car is cute and slow when in reality our old little machines are far from slow.

[Nockenwelle]

From my experience the colour makes a massive difference to the visibility of our small cars.
My silver Elise is barely visible on the road although I'm always driving with the headlights on.
Driving my Chrome Orange Exige changes the things a lot and I'm getting noticed much better.

Below you can see some pictures showing my Elise and a second one both painted in different shades of silver and the orange Exige.