SUVs are safer to drive. True or false?

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Lonyo
Safer if you crash, probably.
But I drive a small car so I am less likely to hit things on narrow roads etc and end up with scrapes and minor bumps. Plus it's easier to be aware IMO of where all the car is in a smaller car.

So long as it doesn't roll over. If it rolls over they are far less safe than most cars.

I'd say almost anything is safer than a Suzuki car though.

Edit-One other thing to consider. SUVs are big lumbering vehicles. They take longer to stop and are much slower to react to emergency lane changes. Also, quick changes of direction can easily get them to roll. I don't think most people realize this when they drive them and that's why there are so many rollover accidents involving SUVs.

I ride a bike to work twice a week. If I worried about everything that could possibly kill me I'd never leave the house. Fvck SUVs. Drive the small more economical car.

 

[compuwiz1]

If you're gonna get in a collision, tis better to be hit while driving an Expedition, than in a Civic.

 

[TraumaRN]

FWIW I work at a major trauma hospital and while I have no apparent facts to back it up, we tend to have MORE SUV drivers more seriously injured and requiring hospitalization than people who drive sedans/cars. Generally it's either high speed, poor driving conditions, young/inexperienced SUV driver, drugs/alcohol, or any combo of those 4.

Again I have no facts to back it up, but it seems like the people injured in SUVs are injured more often and more seriously.

Take it FWIW.

Personally, I drive a Taurus Sport Edition and i feel safer in that than my parents SUVs....and most noticably the handling. I can make turns in my taurus that would flip an SUV in a heartbeat without even squealing my tires on the Taurus.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: DeathBUA
FWIW I work at a major trauma hospital and while I have no apparent facts to back it up, we tend to have MORE SUV drivers more seriously injured and requiring hospitalization than people who drive sedans/cars. Generally it's either high speed, poor driving conditions, young/inexperienced SUV driver, drugs/alcohol, or any combo of those 4.

Again I have no facts to back it up, but it seems like the people injured in SUVs are injured more often and more seriously.

Take it FWIW.

Personally, I drive a Taurus Sport Edition and i feel safer in that than my parents SUVs....and most noticably the handling. I can make turns in my taurus that would flip an SUV in a heartbeat without even squealing my tires on the Taurus.

i think part of it is people think SUV's are invincible. so they drive l ike manics.

 

[eminemrh25]

we have 3 cars, a 2004 dodge durango, 2000 dodge dakota and a 2001 buick centry. My mom was driving in the durango, and a guy behind her didnt see her turning (it was a 1 lane road) and as she was turning, he t-boned the car. The frame got fvcked up, and the doors got smashed to sh!t, but if my mom was driving the buick or even the dakota, she probably would've gotten serioulsy injuried. She walked away from the durango accident, so I tend the think that SUVs can protect a little better than most coupes/sedans....

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: eminemrh25
we have 3 cars, a 2004 dodge durango, 2000 dodge dakota and a 2001 buick centry. My mom was driving in the durango, and a guy behind her didnt see her turning (it was a 1 lane road) and as she was turning, he t-boned the car. The frame got fvcked up, and the doors got smashed to sh!t, but if my mom was driving the buick or even the dakota, she probably would've gotten serioulsy injuried. She walked away from the durango accident, so I tend the think that SUVs can protect a little better than most coupes/sedans....

So...
1. You have a preconception that an SUV will protect you better in an accident.
2. From that you make an assumption about which would have protected your mother better in her accident.
3. From that you come to the conclusion that an SUV will protect you better in an accident.

Well, I'm glad you have a valid reason.

Was she turning left or right? And why did you decide that the Dakota would not have protected her as well as the Durango? Isn't the Durango based on the Dakota?

 

[Jeff7]

What are we going to do when everyone owns an SUV?
"Buy an armored truck, you'll be safer!!!"

Then when everyone has armored trucks, we'll all move to tanks sans shells.
Once everyone's driving tanks sans shells, we'll move to tanks with shells, for long range insurance against accidents.
At which point we realize that motorcycles will allow us to evade tanks effectively, so everyone switches to motorcycles.
Then we move to regular cars, on to SUV's again, and so on.


Sure, drive an SUV. Just don't try any sudden maneuvers to avoid anything, or you might roll it. But for an outright crash, yeah, the greater mass of the SUV means that you should experience fewer G's in a crash with a smaller vehicle. Of course, you being in the SUV also effectively tells people in regular cars, "If I hit you, I'm probably going to kill you, but it's alright because I'm safer, and I'm more important than you."

We'd all be safer if people took driving more seriously. It's a damn big chunk of metal you're piloting at considerable speed. Just crashing at 10mph can total a car and injure the passengers. Try an impact at 70mph. If the G-forces don't kill you, the effect of becoming part of a metal and plastic sandwich will.

 

[TraumaRN]

Originally posted by: Jeff7
What are we going to do when everyone owns an SUV?
"Buy an armored truck, you'll be safer!!!"

Then when everyone has armored trucks, we'll all move to tanks sans shells.
Once everyone's driving tanks sans shells, we'll move to tanks with shells, for long range insurance against accidents.
At which point we realize that motorcycles will allow us to evade tanks effectively, so everyone switches to motorcycles.
Then we move to regular cars, on to SUV's again, and so on.


Sure, drive an SUV. Just don't try any sudden maneuvers to avoid anything, or you might roll it. But for an outright crash, yeah, the greater mass of the SUV means that you should experience fewer G's in a crash with a smaller vehicle. Of course, you being in the SUV also effectively tells people in regular cars, "If I hit you, I'm probably going to kill you, but it's alright because I'm safer, and I'm more important than you."

We'd all be safer if people took driving more seriously. It's a damn big chunk of metal you're piloting at considerable speed. Just crashing at 10mph can total a car and injure the passengers. Try an impact at 70mph. If the G-forces don't kill you, the effect of becoming part of a metal and plastic sandwich will.

Exactly. Which is why SUVs arent inherantly safer. A crash at 70mph in a car or SUV means you are dead or seriously seriously injured. Hence why we probably get more SUV crashes at the hospital people drive TOO fast, they oversteer even a little bit and goodbye to your normal life forever

 

[ruffilb]

Originally posted by: Xanis
In my opinion no, because half of the people who drive SUVs are moms with too many kids driving Suburbans or Land Cruisers and they all fail at driving. I guess it would be safer if you crash...

Meh, I know my mom's a good driver.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: Xanis
In my opinion no, because half of the people who drive SUVs are moms with too many kids driving Suburbans or Land Cruisers and they all fail at driving. I guess it would be safer if you crash...

my sister bought a pacfifica because it made her "Feel safe"

she cant drive the thing worth a fvck though. i had to back it out of a place once because she cant see out of the windows (which, when i was in the drivers seat, almost felt more like slats than windows, meh to it)

 

[eminemrh25]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: eminemrh25
we have 3 cars, a 2004 dodge durango, 2000 dodge dakota and a 2001 buick centry. My mom was driving in the durango, and a guy behind her didnt see her turning (it was a 1 lane road) and as she was turning, he t-boned the car. The frame got fvcked up, and the doors got smashed to sh!t, but if my mom was driving the buick or even the dakota, she probably would've gotten serioulsy injuried. She walked away from the durango accident, so I tend the think that SUVs can protect a little better than most coupes/sedans....

So...
1. You have a preconception that an SUV will protect you better in an accident.
2. From that you make an assumption about which would have protected your mother better in her accident.
3. From that you come to the conclusion that an SUV will protect you better in an accident.

Well, I'm glad you have a valid reason.

Was she turning left or right? And why did you decide that the Dakota would not have protected her as well as the Durango? Isn't the Durango based on the Dakota?

You are right about the Durango being based Dakota, but the dakota I have is about the same height off the ground as a normal car, but the durango is higher up not to mention the fact the Durango has a newer body type while the Dakota is the older style..

She was turning left, and the guy wasn't paying attention, didn't see her blinker and tried to pass her.

 

[The Batt?sai]

where's the poll? suv's are more likely to rollover. but with all the other big cars on the road, i'd rather be in a big car myself for safety

 

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: NFS4
Queue Ornery with a thousand links, quotes and indented paragraphs...

QUEUE is a line
CUE is what you're looking for

 

[MikeMike]

Depends on you as the driver, and which specific car/suv you compare.

if you overrreact, your screwed in an SUV, maybe not in a Sedan.
if you get T-boned by another SUV, you will possibly be safer if you are in a safer SUV.

it depends on ALLLL kinds of things.