. . . then why does the National Transportation Safety Board list pickup trucks and SUVs as the vehicles most likely to kill their occupants in an accident?

As to your metalic confetti, confetti going 400 miles per hour isn't going to just stop and bounce off the surface, it's going to keep on going.

You get a goose down pillow in your face at 400 miles per hour it's going to hurt like hell at least and probably kill you.