With an estimated 3 billion vehicles hitting the roads by the year 2035, it's not surprising that drivers want to choose the safest vehicle possible to travel the highways. For many, Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) seem to be the logical choice.
The improvements and safety features of an SUV make it a popular choice for many consumers. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently released a study touting the safety of SUVs over smaller vehicles. IIHS noted that SUV safety has improved largely due to installing "electronic stability control," which lessens the risk of rollover in a Santa Rosa car accident attorney.
But while IIHS may favor SUVs for the safety of the driver and its passengers, this safety may come at an expense to other drivers on the road.
SUVs Increase Risk of Injury to Other California Drivers
Drivers of smaller cars face an increased risk of serious injury or a fatal car accident when involved in a crash with an SUV. Recent studies put this risk for small car drivers and passengers at anywhere from six to sixteen times greater than for the occupants of SUVs. This is due partially to the difference in size and weight between SUVs and regular automobiles.
The bumper height of SUVs also put smaller cars at a disadvantage when a collision occurs according to IIHS. Instead of causing bumper-to-bumper impact as intended, when an SUV hits a smaller vehicle, the bumper usually makes contact higher than the small car's bumper, at a more vulnerable spot on the car. This makes occupants inside smaller cars susceptible to more serious injuries of the head and torso, as the SUVs higher bumper strikes smaller cars at or above shoulder level.
Additionally, the statistics are telling — in accidents between SUVs and other vehicles, nearly all of those killed were in the other vehicles, with only a little more than two percent of the deaths attributed to those inside the SUVs.
The size and weight of SUVs are also less safe for pedestrians. Studies show that the risk of serious injury to pedestrians of is increased by 300 percent if they are hit by an SUV as opposed to a car.
While SUVs may be designed with the idea of keeping those inside of them safe, this increased safety comes with an increased danger for other drivers and their passengers. If you've been injured in a collision with an SUV, a Santa Rosa car accident attorney can help you seek the compensation you need to recover.
