Car manufacturers market their oversize vehicles as offering you a safer ride. It is one of the things that convinces so many people to buy sports utility vehicles (SUVs), even though they have no intention of ever leaving the asphalt.
The marketing materials are correct to some degree. However, there is one major factor they fail to mention.
Your safety comes at the expense of other people’s
Marketing SUVs as safer is like telling you it is better to be an elephant than a mouse. The bigger you are, the less likely someone else can harm you. However, the bigger you are, the more easily you can harm others.
The height and weight of an SUV make it lethal
Imagine you are crossing the road when a vehicle comes around the corner and hits you. If it is a sedan or hatchback, it will likely hit you in the legs. If it is an SUV, it will hit you in your upper body or, if you are short, in your head.
The raised ride that allows SUV drivers a high vantage point comes with a much higher hood. As all the vital organs are in the upper body, any impact is more likely to kill or result in serious injury. The increased vehicle mass also adds more force to any impact.
Being inside a car might not protect you either
Unless you are also in an SUV, one that hits you side-on may again hit you in the upper body or head. A car that is lower to the ground is more likely to hit the part of the seat you sit on.
If a driver in a big vehicle injures you, you will likely need more compensation than if they were in something smaller. Consider legal help to get it.
