Because the most common practice area at Jones & Swanson is automobile accident crashes, we stress vehicle safety ratings and scores when shopping for a new vehicle. The IIHS performs numerous safety tests on vehicles and score them accordingly. This helps buyers to determine what vehicle is safer when shopping around.
Something else to consider while car shopping is a new study performed by the University of Buffalo, which suggests that more money buys safer vehicles. It is a common understanding that larger vehicles have the upper hand in an accident with smaller passenger vehicles, but vehicle weight and price were proven safety factors in this study as well. The study researched real-world personal injury claims and automobile accidents involving 360 various 2010-2012 automobiles. While government crash tests provide valuable information, their experiments must be clean and typically use only one motor vehicle per accident.
Accodring to the UB study, every $10,000 spent on a motor vehicle decreases injuries by nearly 12%.
The study also supported that while overall size matters in vehicle safety, the weight of a car or truck matters more than length or width.Automobiles are 19% safer per 1,000 pound weight increase, according to this study. Heavier vehicles push lighter vehicles around much easier, changing velocity for smaller vehicles in a crash where impact with a heavier vehicle occurs. Vehicles that are larger in size typically provide larger crush zones and more materials to protect occupants as well. Automobiles that sit higher/taller typically override smaller cars because of bumper height. These features of overall size, safety features, and sophistication are traditionally found in more expensive vehicles.
Overall, this study supported the fact that money can buy safety, to an extent. Fortunately, advanced safety features and technologies are rapidly becoming more common in cheaper, smaller vehicles. Government safety tests hold manufacturers responsible for producing safer vehicles, so we are heading in the right direction. If you are in the market for a new vehicle and simply cannot afford a luxury automobile, we suggest at a minimum making sure all safety boxes have been checked.
