[ChiragM]

A new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) study shows that the driver of a car is 28% more likely to die if the car is hit by an SUV.



In 1989–1992, SUVs were 132% more likely to kill the driver of a car they collided with. During that period pick-up trucks were 159% more likely to kill other car drivers, whereas the figure now stands at 158%. The study examined deaths in accidents involving 1 to 4-year old passenger vehicles from 1989 to 2016.

The reasons for this incompatibility between a car and an SUV include factors like vehicle weight and ride height. Heavier cars will do more damage to lighter vehicles. SUVs also have a higher ride height, which means that the SUV's bumper is likely to hit the car's window, and not the stronger parts of the car like the doors. Crossovers, which have a lower ride height, are less dangerous than full-size SUVs.

Source: Jalopnik

Link to Team-BHP News

[SRT_Dwarka]

Well, too bad, but this article sort of pushes me further towards a heavy SUV, which I'm sure is not the author's intent. Physics dictates that the lighter vehicle suffers more damage in a collision, and i would rather be safe than bear the brunt of it. Self-preservation i guess

[Kosfactor]

Crumple zones and airbags wont get a chance to work in such scenarios, the taller vehicle will ride-over and crash into the cabin. This is similar to cars crashing into parked trucks and going under it, those under run bars I`m not sure if they help all that much.

Last evening I almost missed spotting an Audi R8 coming from the opposite side, Its just too low on the ground to see, my guess is it will be not be visible on the rear view mirrors of tall vehicles if parked right behind it.

[landcruiser123]

Not only occupants in other vehicles, pedestrians fatalities have increased the most following the recent trend of buying more SUVs.

[GTO]

Sucks for fans of low slung tight cars like me, but the fact is, all things being the same = an SUV with more metal + height will always be safer in a crash. And at the other end of the stick is the puny little hatchback, especially the lightweight, non-crash tested 3 - 4 lakh rupee ones (e.g. Alto).

[Storm2.0]

Now you all see why Indian players are so obsessed with pseudo SUVs like WrV, Nexon Brezza, Freestyle,XuV300, Creta etc .

[Rahul Rao]

I feel that a vehicle with decent crash rating with bonnet and window sill height at a level which is above the bumper / under run guard of a truck or bus is adequate to keep us safe.
A Car with NCAP 5 star rating whose bonnet is low enough to get in like a wedge under a taller vehicle will be less safe in real conditions than something with 4 star rating having a taller bonnet.


Rahul

[paragsachania]

...and in cases like these, a puny hatch has 100% chances to topple a 2 ton SUV (pun intended):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_duJcwHbKI

[revsperminute]

But what about the events leading up to a crash? I'm sure that a low-slung sedan will have better manoeuvrability which might just help prevent the crash altogether. But none of these factors weigh in when a car is hit. Personally, I'm at a crossroads at the moment choosing between sleek sedans like the Civic/ Octavia and butch SUVs like the Compass for our next car. These articles only add up to the confusion.

[roy_libran]

Thanks for sharing this information and starting this thread Chirag. As an ex-owner of SUV's, I have, off late started questioning this preference on mine.

Apart from the fact that almost all SUV's worth purchasing are Diesel based - a fuel that I don't want to use any longer, I have been pondering over the inherent propensity of a SUV:
- to lose control more easily than a different body style,
- the higher momentum and weight transfers to be contented with in crisis situations,
- lesser chassis rigidity due to the designed flex leading to quicker loss of control,
- higher chances of pedestrian fatality even in minor collisions,
- and now higher chances of critically injuring people in other vehicles due to aforementioned test observations.

We have all, in the past, HAD very good reasons to prefer SUV's, but do the current (and swiftly improving) condition of roads in the country, warrant use of an SUV in the first place?
Cross-overs (I am on my second one now!) actually tackle most of the bad situations one can still find, with aplomb, and strike a better balance between ability, controllability and safety overall.

How much tolerance should a primarily aspirational and recreational vehicle be permitted going forward?

[locusjag]

I know of two different families who were entirely wiped out in tragic road accidents in the 1990s. One was in a Zen and the other was in an Esteem. Their extremely low slung cars were run over by heavy vehicles of some sort in head-on collisions.

Wouldn't a current-gen Ford Endeavour similarly run over an Alto if they happened to meet head-on?

One shudders at the thought.

[asingh1977]

Here in GGN, SUV drivers are the roughest and biggest bullies. Like a sense of entitlement. Am sure many are not aware of their metal’s sheer power. Bigger the vehicle, more responsiblity. Did I mention cement dumpers...oh wait.

[krish3]

Everything depends on the angle of being hit. In most cases, the sedan/hatch & its occupants will be worse off than the SUV. But there are cases where the SUVs can topple and roll over even on a sideswipe accident.

There is no better safety that the thing between the ears of the person behind the wheel.