If a past debate on the "safety" of SUV was reopened at the end of the day the SUV defenders would go into denial:

• The tipover hazard is much greater (guess why steel median barriers have been replaced with higher concrete ones?).
• They can't manuver out of a collision as well (see rollover hazard above).
• They brake slower.
• There is more room for occupants to rattle in a collision
• Their height is more likely to crush the other guy's vehicle.
• They don't crumple as well, which means they will not only will they strike a victim harder, the driver will be more likely to get harmed too.
• It's a lot harder for cars to see around them.
• It's harder for them to see behind them.
• Their height is deadlier to pedistrians.

CNN article (backover deaths)

Preemptive clarification: I'm a lot more concerned with the 6000-pound+ SUV's that came out since the mid-90s - they are a safety hazard for sure. So if you drive an Element, Escape, etc., don't start screaming...

 

Wow, this also applies to busses. "End public transportation!"

 

holy crap. "bye-bye syndrome" how terrible!!

whenever i have to drive one of our suvs i always look over my shoulder a bunch of times before changing lanes. one of the reasons i don't like driving those beasts.

 

My Lexus RX400h has a little camera that switches on when you go into reverse. It shows the area just behind your car, about 4 feet off the ground to the ground, and from the bumper out about 8 feet.

It's there for exactly that reason--not being able to see what's directly behind you. (That's also true for a lot of non-SUVs, btw.)

 

To pick a nit:
"There is more room for occupants to rattle in a collision" With proper design the larger volume makes SUVs safer -- more space for crumpling before injury occurs.
Who would have imagined I'd ever say anything good about an SUV!!

"Their height is more likely to crush the other guy's vehicle." I'm waiting for somebody to start selling an SUV that is so high that it will just flip over when they hit a smaller vehicle like mine.

I find the article itself very sad.
--Walter

 

I think you know bus drivers need a commercial licence, while SUV drivers don't (although you're giving me ideas.... )

Clarification on the height hazard to pedistrians: Suppose you are hit crossing a road. If it's by a Honda Accord, you will probably fall on the hood (or bonnet) and windshield. If you were to be hit by an Escalade SUV, the grill is too high for you to go over - you're upper body is going to feel the full impact. Chances are more likely you will then go under the vehicle. This kind of trauma is deadlier.

Car vs. Light Truck Safety Standards: It's common knowledge cars must be built safer, but most SUV's are not a unibody construction. They still have the separate body/chassic construction. It's cheaper, heavier, and less safe in a crash, make the vehicle higher. The Jeep Cherokee is an exception - it's unibody.

 

Large SUVs and trucks should require a CDL!! It's amazing living here in AZ seeing all these people with full size, crew cab, extended bed 4 wheel drives pull into a parking lot and try to squeeze their mammoth into a space designed for a car. It should be required to park large vehicles in the back lots. Also, these are the same people that own large vehicles because "they feel safe in them" but don't know how to handle them and end up running up onto curbs when cutting corners too sharp, needs to pull into and out of a parking space several times just to fit, change lanes when they don't even look over their shoulder at their huge blind spots!

I'm not for banning SUVs, but just requiring their drivers to obtain further training on how to operate one properly.

 

Takes a Deep breath...


Oh. Nevermind.

I like the idea of the reverse camera, as mentioned, and the new Escapes have the Reverse Sensing System (Which I would've gotten if I could've.)

Of course, there's also the other factor, education. When I was a kid, I was taught to watch out and don't go close to running motor vehicles. Granted, not every kid will listen and remember, but it seems that fundamentals like that are often getting skipped or forgotten in the safety equipment rush.

 

How do they know if it's running if it's a hybrid?

We hybrid owners have to be extra careful.

 

They make aftermarket beeping reverse lights, so you could get those if you want.