SUVs Prove Safer Than Smaller Passenger Cars

When consumers decide to purchase an automobile, there are many details that they base their purchase on. Gas mileage, price, size, and safety are just a few of those specifics that buyers are often interested in. Safety and crash ratings are assigned to all vehicles manufactured in recent years. According to studies, crash ratings do not always guarantee higher safety than other automobiles in crashes. For instance, statistics show that in head-on crashes involving SUVs and passenger cars, the passenger car vehicle drivers are over four times more likely to lose their lives when their smaller vehicle’s crash rating was better than the SUV’s rating. When the SUV has a higher crash rating than the smaller car, the likelihood that the smaller vehicle’s driver dies grows to ten times more probable.

In general, in a two vehicle collision, fatalities occur more often in the lighter and smaller of the two automobiles. SUVs are typically safer than small cars, especially in frontal crashes, because of their capability to ride over and crush the smaller vehicles.

These safety facts are in spite of the higher potential for rollovers in SUVs than in smaller passenger cars. Rollovers occur more in SUVs due to their center of gravity being higher than in other vehicles. Fortunately, 2012 and newer model vehicles are required to be equipped with electronic stability control, or ESC. This reduces the chance of a rollover significantly.

Although SUVs have proven to be safer in impacts with smaller vehicles, this doesn’t mean passenger cars are not safe. If you’re in the market for a vehicle, it is important to make sure whatever vehicle you purchase has high safety and crash ratings, regardless of the type of automobile. The higher the rating, the safer you and your passengers will be in the event of a crash.

Personal injury lawyer Andrew W. Jones represents victims of automobile crashes as his specialty. If you or someone you know are injured in a crash and another driver was at fault, you may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more. To find out whether you have a Georgia personal injury claim, contact Jones & Swanson today at (770) 427-5498 or online at www.awjlaw.com.