A new report done by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety finds that drivers of SUVs are one of the least likely groups to die in a crash. The reasons behind this have something to do the safety features that have been built into SUVs. This news may be comforting to a lot of parents who currently drive their families around in an SUV.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently released a report that found that the death rate for drivers of SUVs that are involved in crashes is half that of cars. They note that drivers of SUVs are among those who are the least likely to die in a crash.
In the past, there were big problems with many SUVs. These vehicles were top heavy, and had a tendency to roll over when in a crash. As a result, those models of SUVs had some of the highest driver death rates attached to them. Since then, there have been many changes made to SUVs that have greatly improved their safety. For example, a lot of them have electronic stability control, which helps to prevent roll overs from happening. It also helps that SUVs are big and sturdy vehicles.
There are also other things that are specific to SUVs that make them safer than cars. People tend to drive more safely when behind the wheel of an SUV than when they drive other types of vehicles. Sports cars are designed to be driven fast, and people tend to drive more dangerously, and take more risks, when they are driving a sports car then when they are driving an SUV.
It seems as though there is a trend that compels parents to buy an SUV shortly after they have their first baby. These drivers have their family in the vehicle with them, and this seems to influence most SUV drivers to slow down, to pay close attention to the road, and to make much safer driving decisions than the people who are driving sports cars.
It is possible that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put together this report as a message to federal regulators. They are currently working on rules regarding fuel economy that will force makers of automobiles to create smaller, lighter, vehicles. Cars like that could save people some gas money, but the report implies that if a crash occurs, the little cars could cost drivers their lives.
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