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SUVs No Safer for Kids
January 3, 2006
While many people believe that SUVs provide better protection for children in the event of an accident, studies are now showing that SUVs are no better in protecting children from injury than passenger cars in auto accidents. "Many people just assume that the extra weight and the size of an SUV makes them safer, but what we found was that the potential benefits were cancelled by the SUVs' increased likelihood of rolling over," states Pennsylvania doctor, Dr. Dennis Dubin, lead author of a recent study which appears in this month's issue of Pediatrics .
In evaluating the cases of 4,000 children from birth to age 15, involved in car crashes, researchers found that SUV rollover happened twice as often as passenger vehicle rollover. Rollover is a leading type of fatal auto accident. Those children in rollover accidents are three times more likely to suffer injuries than those in non-rollover vehicle accidents, according to the study. These findings confirm previous studies that show a dramatic increase in the risk of rollover for SUVs compared to passenger cars.
Proper restraint of children in vehicles is another major corollary in the risk of injury to children in auto accidents. Children who are not properly restrained during SUV rollover are 25 times more likely to suffer serious injury than those adequately restrained. When SUV rollover occurs, there is a great risk that passengers will be ejected from the auto or strike objects within the vehicle, resulting in serious injury.
This new study on the increased risk of SUV rollover and the effect on children is important because there is a public misperception about these vehicles. Many people feel they are better protecting their kids by purchasing an SUV when, in fact, there is a greater risk they will be involved in a serious rollover accident. While the majority of families still choose passenger vehicles, a growing number are purchasing SUVs. Between 1995 and 2002, the number of SUVs registered in the United States increased by 250 percent.
SUV rollover is a significant danger that can cause serious and fatal injury to children and other vehicle passengers. Parents need to understand that SUVs are no safer for their children than other automobiles. They should also remember the importance of restraining children (based on their age) in a vehicle before making any trip in a vehicle.
Based on the significant dangers of SUV rollover, the federal government is now required to develop and implement better standards to reduce the rollover risk. Some officials say that SUV makers are trying to develop less top-heavy SUVs in an effort to lower the risk of rollover. Despite these alleged efforts, the degree of danger posed by SUV rollover makes this problem an auto defect, which auto makers have a duty to resolve.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an SUV rollover accident, you may wish to speak with a qualified attorney about your legal rights and options.
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