Multiple news agencies have indicated that a recent study carried out by the University of Buffalo shows that when SUVs are involved in head-on collisions, drivers in smaller passenger vehicles are more likely to be fatally injured as a result. The driver in a small passenger car is 10 times more likely to die if involved in an accident with an SUV than if the vehicle is involved in a collision with another similarly small car. That is due to the fact that SUVs tend to ride over shorter passenger vehicles, which causes the larger vehicle to crush the occupant of the smaller car.
When it comes to SUV safety, the study points out that a driver in an SUV is seven times less likely to die in all head-on crashes than drivers inside of passenger cars. Vehicles that scored better crash ratings in several tests did not do better when involved in accidents with larger vehicles. Even when two vehicles that are the same weight collide, the occupants in the SUV are more likely to survive than the occupants in another type of vehicle.
The reports indicate that larger and newer SUVs are the safest vehicles on the roadways nowadays. These vehicles tend to roll over less often and are frequently competent when it comes to keeping the driver and other occupants from being injured in collisions. According to the study, drivers may feel overly confident when they purchase a passenger vehicle with excellent safety ratings. According to safety experts, drivers should keep in mind that purchasing a vehicle that obtained great safety ratings does not make the vehicles crash-proof.
When looking for a vehicle, experts urge, consumers must remember that larger SUVs tend to be more likely to keep occupants safe in major collisions.
To read more about how SUVs could keep occupants safer in collisions or riskier accidents, click here for the full article.