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Public misconception over safety of SUVs
February 1, 2005
The attorney general of Iowa, Tom Miller, said a recent survey shows that more than four in 10 Americans believe they are safer in an SUV than in a car, despite National Highway Traffic Safety Administration figures showing there were 2,448 deaths and 58,000 injuries from SUV rollover crashes in the United States in 2002.
The NHTSA study found that 67 percent of adults involved in fatal SUV rollovers were male, and 61 percent of fatal SUV rollovers involved people between 20 and 39 years old. There are certain facts and preventative safety measures SUV drivers and occupants can take to reduce fatality and injury risks.
An SUV has a high center of gravity, which contributes to a greater risk for rollover. By speeding, making abrupt maneuvers, being an inattentive driver, tailgating or driving recklessly, aggressively or under the influence, the chances of an SUV rollover increase.
A new consumer survey indicated nearly 50 percent of Americans are not aware of the dangers in overloading an SUV and causing SUV rollover. That combined with the number of vehicle occupants and the weight and distribution of cargo will increase the SUVs center of gravity, also increasing the risk of rollover.
Maintaining the tires on an SUV will help promote SUV safety. Especially when loading an SUV, drivers must monitor tire size, pressure and maintenance. Lastly, one of the most preventable factors of SUV rollover death is ejection from the vehicle because 80 percent of those killed in an SUV rollover are not wearing their seatbelts.
In 2003, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration head, Jeffrey Runge, created a stir when he stated he would never let his inexperienced teenagers drive a vehicle with a two-stare rollover rating from the safety administration. Just SUVs and pickups score in that low of the ratings. The popularity of the oversized vehicles continues to result in major sales, but SUV rollover deaths will not be reduced until more education and awareness about the vehicles has occurred.
For more information on suv rollover and crashworthiness, contact us to confer with an auto crash attorney.
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