Smart Is As Smart Does

This picture accompanying this post is doing the rounds on the internet.  The commentary normally reads:

Below is a photo of a wreck in Jefferson Parish, LA (near New Orleans ) between two
trucks and a Smart Car. Think Il (sic) pass on the Smart Car.

As with any email circular, especially ones with egregious spelling errors, you should always take it with a pinch of salt.  The goldmine that is snopes.com says the following:

According to a reader who relayed information to us from the Jefferson Parish Sherriff’s Office, the accident pictured above involved a Ford Escape not (as is commonly reported) a Smart Car.  The impact did not occure dead center as apparently shown in the photograph; it was offset to the right, and thus the driver’s side was not nearly as heavily damaged.  the driver of the Ford survived the crash and has since been released from the hospital.

So does this mean that a Smart car is safe and you should be happy if your son or daughter wanted to drive one?  Up to a point:

Ouch.