Who knew?
Posted on 06/13/2011 11:42:28 AM PDT by smokingfrog
Remember when SUVS drew consumer focus over rollover worries? Well, a study says SUVs are safer than ever, and tiny cars are the most likely to result in a fatality.
That's one of the lessons from the latest edition of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Status Report, which tracks car crash and mortality statistics. The good news is that car crash deaths are down overall: Between 2006 and 2009, the death rate for drivers of 2005-08 models was just 48 people per million registered vehicle years (defined as a vehicle registered for a year, or two vehicles registered for six months). According to the report, the death rate for 2001-04 models was 79, so this represents a significant improvement over just five years.
But the data also show that your chance of dying in a car accident goes up as your car gets smaller...
(Excerpt) Read more at thestreet.com ...
Who knew?
It took a study to figure this out...
“But the data also show that your chance of dying in a car accident goes up as your car gets smaller”
Since libs did the study, this was - of course - unexpected.
I’ll have to share this with my husband, who in all due respect I thought was being a bit too anal when he insisted on me getting a bigger vehicle to drive our 2 year-old daughter around in (I was driving a Jeep Liberty and I thought it was big enough). What spear-headed this was a lady I worked with was on her way to work and got rear-ended by a large truck while she was stopped waiting on a school bus. She was driving a small sedan, and she got killed in the accident. He wanted something large enough if we got rear-ended we’d be ok. He got the biggest thing on the lot, a Ford Expedition. Unfortunately it doesn’t get the same gas mileage as the Jeep, but we both feel our daughter is safer in it, and that is all that matters.
I swear I’ve read this study about every five years since around 1970. How many times do they have to study the same thing to figure out what should be common sense?
My 2008 Mercury has stability control. Many new cars have it.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/28001-stability-control.htm
http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp?section=safe&story=techStability&subject=safe_tech&referer=
Definitely safer...
bkmk
I am a blond, female senior and I could have told them that and saved them a lot of money.
I expect a lot of "studies" are done for college credit, thesis, etc. While I agree with the obvious results, many studies are to looked at with a very skeptical eye.
No kidding. I remember a 1970's study where they tested full-size cars against compacts. To be fair, each company from the big four got one of their big cars to execute a competitor's small car. So an AMC Ambassador smashed a Pinto, and a Ford LTD crushed a Vega, etc.
This being the fabulous freaky '70's, the study editors didn't want this to be taken as a call against the "eggshells", but rather that we should ban the "hammers" and all drive "eggshells".
As an Expedition owner I say, Great choice! I love that thing. Great ride, plenty of room, lots of power. Gas mileage is the only draw back, but it is worth it.
If you look closely at the door you can get a sense of the size
BTW A for sale sign was in the window, "$11,500 Firm"
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.