NHTSA: SUVs not safe enough

CNN/Money ^ | 1/15/03

[Sungirl]

Top auto-safety regulator says SUVs vulnerable to rollover accidents due to high centers of gravity.

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - In another blow to one of automakers' most popular and profitable product lines, the top U.S. auto-safety regulator said sport/utility vehicles and pickup trucks aren't safe enough due to rollover risks and consumers should think twice about buying them, according to a published report Wednesday.

[rs79bm]

These idiots never cease to amaze me. Of course SUV's have higher centers of gravity. On average, they are built higher than a standard sedan. This logic tells us that all sports cars, and large cylinder engines are also dangerous, because by default they go faster than a standard sized vehicle. This logic tells us that pickup trucks are more dangerous because they have smaller compartments and are more prone to failing crash tests. This logic tells us that absolutely no buses or tractor-trailers are safe enough drive or even ride in. This logic tells us that all 8-seat passenger vans are not safe to ride in and that they can crash easier than a standard-sized car. And finally, this logic tells us that they are un-fairly picking out SUV's because they simply don't like the people who drive them, and they simply cannot get away from the idea about SUV's and gas controversy. I think these people need to grow up and worry about the real problems in life, such as why millions and millions of Arabs want us all dead and the fact that the thousands of people who were killed on 9/11 are so easily forgotten.

[vbmoneyspender]

are we going to ban motorcycles next? They aren't very stable. For that matter, neither are bicycles. How about we ban them too, and skateboards and skis and surfboards, etc.

[Sungirl]

Just to keep this clear about my view. I posted this because I was sent this in the email from a guy who hates SUV's and I posted it here to get some defenses from you guys before I answer him.

[rs79bm]

Just to keep this clear about my view. I posted this because I was sent this in the email from a guy who hates SUV's and I posted it here to get some defenses from you guys before I answer him.

ok, please send him my comments above.

[vbmoneyspender]

didn't mean to kill the messenger -- I figured you were posting it so that we could try and tear up the reasoning. ;-)

[sheik yerbouty]

17000 people die in their bathtubs every year. Let's call for waterproof helmets and rubber duckies!

[Pushi]

The reason more SUV passengers are killed in rollover accidents is because SUVs hold more people, they are used in environments in which rollovers are most likely to occur, and they are driven on trips which involve more miles traveled. I don't own a SUV because I really can't justify a need for one, but I defend the right of anyone to buy one that wants one.

[AlaskaErik]

17000 people die in their bathtubs every year. Let's call for waterproof helmets and rubber duckies!

No no no! Let's just ban them altogether.

[vbmoneyspender]

No no no! Let's just ban them altogether

The people or the bathtubs? ;-)

[Luna]

Plastic bags are dangerous
Scissors and other sharp objects are dangerous
Electrical outlets are dangerous
Wet sidewalks and floors are dangerous
Swimming pools are dangerous
Mouse traps are dangerous
Ladders are dangerous
Roofs are dangerous
Garbage disposals are dangerous
Staple guns are dangerous

We're beset by dangerous things!! Quick, let's ban everything and wrap ourselves up in warmy fuzzy blankets and live out our lives in a dark empty room. But you can't build a fire, because fire is dangerous too.

[Teacher317]

I would rather get hit by a car while sitting in an SUV than in a sedan, compact, or pick-up. I and my loved ones will definitely be safer, being higher up than the point of impact, and surrounded by thousands of pounds of metal, and even some airbags.

Same logic goes for hitting a tree/building/wall. I'd rather have a big lumbering tank than a small, quick, crumbling egg carton.

[Redcloak]

Is Runge another leftover Clintonista?

[Brad’s Gramma]

Don't forget cookie dough.
Eggs "over easy".
Climbing in trees.




(Please see my Tag Line)

[vbmoneyspender]

Don't forget that people drown all the time, so we may want to consider banning water.

[Luna]

Ooh... how do you like your SUV? I'd love to buy one, but not enough funds gets in the way.

Climbing trees made me think of another one.
Swingsets and jungle gyms are really dangerous.

[Brad’s Gramma]

Don't tell anyone, but this is our third. Not all at the same time, but third.

Obviously, I love 'em. :-)

[Brad’s Gramma]

MORE PEOPLE ARE KILLED IN YUGO'S than semi's. OUTLAW YUGO'S.

[Paradox]

Lets not jerk our knees too hard here.

People, while this SUV factoid may fit in just fine with left wing demagogery, this is still the truth!

Most SUV's today are inherently unstable, compared to a car or even a vans/minivan. Higher center of gravity is part of the problem, but that can be accounted for.

I would hope that the automakers take a note of this fact and do something about this, to make them even SAFER, whats so wrong about that?

Widen the vehicle track, modify the suspension geometry, maybe even some active suspension wizardry. It shouldn't take too much to make SUV's even SAFER than they are. As a consumer, I would demand it.

[N. Theknow]

Dr. Jeffery Runge, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to the Wall Street Journal. "Well, sorry, but you know gut instinct is great for a lot of stuff, but it's not very good for buying a safe automobile."

Hey Jeffie baby. Consider this: Statistics show that you will be in an accident.
Statistics show your wife will be in an accident.
Statistics show that your kids will be in accidents.

Now here's the tricky part. Do you want them driving a sub-compact or an SUV?

Second question. What is the ratio of people killed in SUV rollovers compared to doctor error each year?

Now you know why that ring around your collar smells like fecal matter.