Manufacturers promote SUVs as a safe option, a way to protect yourself and your family. They are indeed a safe option for those traveling inside them.
Yet, what the manufacturers fail to mention is that SUVs are much more dangerous for everyone that shares the road with them. Here is why:
They have very high fronts
If a vehicle hits a cyclist, pedestrian or motorcyclist, the higher the impact, the more damage it can do. Smaller, more traditional cars with lower fronts tend to hit people in their legs. SUVs will hit them in their upper body or even their head. As the vital organs are in the upper body, an impact there vastly reduces the chance of survival.
They weigh more than the average car
If something hits you, its mass plays into the force it will hit you with. The more a vehicle weighs, the more damage it can do.
They have oversize pillars
Strong pillars at the corners of the vehicle prevent the roof from crushing the occupants if the vehicle flips. Yet SUVs come with pillars modeled on those used in true 4x4s, like the ones used by the army and others to drive off-road across tricky terrain where the chance of rolling over is much higher.
Most SUVs spend their time on the tarmac, and therefore, rollovers should not occur, so those bulky pillars are not needed. What’s wrong with a bit of extra safety? The wider the pillars, the more of a driver’s vision they obscure. Drivers that cannot see clearly are more likely to crash into someone they did not see. If you are injured by an SUV, there is legal help available to claim compensation.
