Do SUV’s Get A Bad Rap For Safety?

May 13th, 2010 by admin

Since the explosion in the popularity of Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) in the mid-1990s there has been much in print and on TV about SUV safety concerns. Truck accident questions abound. Early SUVs were prone to rollover accidents and because of that were labeled as being less safe than passenger cars and trucks. While the design of SUVs does mean that they are more likely to roll over in some crashes the bad safety reputation is proving to be undeserved.The number of SUVs on the road continues to rise in the United States. SUVs made up more than 10% of all vehicles on the road in 2000, up from 7% in 1995. Many motorists cite a belief that SUVs offer better protection in a crash as one of the reasons they chose to switch from cars or light trucks. Data collected in 2005 by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) seem to support that belief. An indiana car accident attorney might not have disagreed.The IIHS study found that full-size SUVS had the lowest death rates for vehicles on the road, with about 25 occupant fatalities for every 1 million vehicles on the road less than three years old. Mid-size cars averaged about 70 deaths per million vehicles, with “mini” cars and subcompacts showing about 145 deaths per million registered vehicles. Mid-size SUVs didn’t perform as well as their full-size brethren but still proved safer than most other models, with 60 deaths per million registered vehicles.Why do SUVs seem to be safer? Experts point to several reasons. First, SUVs offer more protection to occupants in an accident. Many SUV models now feature side-curtain airbags, door reinforcements, large crumple zones, and put a lot of vehicle between the occupant and whatever else is involved with the vehicle in a crash. Large crumple zones at the front and rear of SUVs mean that much more of a crash’s energy is dissipated in an accident. Smaller cars don’t have as much energy absorbing areas, meaning that more of the energy is transferred to vehicle occupants. Cars and light trucks also tend to have weaker doors and side areas than SUVs. The most deadly type of collision on our highways is the classic “t-bone” accident, when one vehicle spears another in the side. Cars have little to no protection in the door and side areas of the vehicle. This equates to more and more serious injuries to occupants. Conversely SUVs ride higher, and most have reinforcing door bars and side impact panels. While this won’t totally negate the energy of a “t-bone” impact it will significantly lessen the amount of energy transferred to the driver or passengers.The big negative concerning SUV safety is their tendency to rollover in some accidents. According to the IIHS approximately 60% of driver and passenger deaths in SUV accidents occurred because of a rollover. Only 20% of passenger car fatalities occurred as the result of a rollover.When looking at SUVs versus other types of vehicles in accidents the advantage clearly goes to the SUV. Statistically, if an SUV and a passenger car are involved in an accident, the driver and passengers in the car are about 1.5 times more likely to sustain injuries that can be fatal, than if the accident had involved two equally sized passenger cars. More work for Truck accident lawyers Indianapolis.  If vehicles are mismatched on size, the smaller vehicles do not have the size or mass to absorb the crash energy generated. SUVs might roll over easier in accidents, but their size, geometry and larger mass provides more protection in multiple vehicle accidents.So maybe SUVs are safer than we’ve been led to believe. Although they do roll over in some accidents their size, safety systems, and their interaction with other vehicles in a crash make them safer than anyone thought. In fact it could be that the much-maligned SUV is actually the safest ride on the road.



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