Do you drive a sport utility vehicle? If you do then you likely are familiar with the report that found SUVs to be at higher risk of rolling over than conventional passenger cars. (Studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal agency that regulates automobile safety proved as much.)
Prior to the dramatic rise in gas prices I was convinced our family’s next vehicle should be a SUV.
My opinion has since changed and the NHTSA’s report was only one the reasons I decided to research other vehicles. Keep in mind this was a few years ago. Now, I’m learning that the NHTSA’s rollover resistance ratings have been highly criticized by some who say the research paints an unfair portrait of SUV safety.
For those of you who missed reading the report it basically rated (by stars) how prone a certain brand of SUV was to rolling over. For example, the Chevrolet Blazer earned a one-star rating, the lowest possible after it rolled over so easily in NHTSA tests. But, critics maintain the tests tell potential SUV buyers very little about the safety of the vehicles.
In fact, some say that when it comes to safety, SUV’s are not getting a fair shake. Proponents of SUVs say the vehicles are generally quite safe. They point to the federal governments Fatal Accident Reporting System that shows SUVs actually have a lower accident/fatality rate per million vehicle miles traveled than do most passenger cars. In addition, they say another benefit to the SUV is that its larger size offers a safety advantage, in terms of driver and passenger protection in a crash.
Getting back to that government sponsored rollover report… SUV proponents say the reason there are so many rollover incidents is because SUV drivers don’t understand that an SUV reacts and handles differently than a car, and must be driven accordingly. They say underneath all the fancy accoutrements of a high end SUV, they are still basically trucks and handle as such.
I think what SUV proponents are trying to say in defense of their beloved vehicle is that it is easier to lose control in an SUV, especially when you are swerving to avoid another vehicle, but this does not mean SUVs are “unsafe.”
Have you ever been involved in a SUV rollover incident? Do you feel safe driving your SUV?
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