Driving an SUV increases your gas bill; but also increases your chances of surviving an auto accident. The Department of Highway Safety predicts that by 2035 there will be 3 billion passenger vehicles on the road. Many concerned drivers want to be driving the safest vehicle available when they are on the road. It is no surprise that a Sport Utility Vehicle provides the safest alternative. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has confirmed in recent studies that in fact the SUV is safer than smaller passenger vehicles. In the past the SUV problem was the risk of, "rollover", in certain accident scenarios. Technology has caught up to the prior SUV problems with the advent of the electronic stability control systems installed in the newer models. Unfortunately what is good news for the SUV driver still leaves the driver of the smaller passenger vehicle at greater risk of serious injury or wrongful death when involved in an auto accident with the larger SUV. The obvious disparity of weight and size between the SUV and smaller passenger car increases the risk of serious injury or death to the driver and occupant of the smaller car by 6 to 16 times greater than that of the SUV occupants. The height of the SUV bumper changes the dynamic of the, "bumper to bumper", scenario in smaller car versus smaller car crashes to SUV bumper to higher areas of contact on the smaller car in the SUV versus smaller car crash. Thus the SUV bumper impacts the less protected areas of the smaller car increasing the severity of injury to the smaller car driver and passengers. The head and upper torso of the occupants of the smaller car have a greater chance of being impacted by the bumper of the SUV. Pedestrians struck by an SUV are less likely to survive the impact than if they had been struck at the same speed by a smaller passenger car. Knowing these facts should alert the driver of a Non-SUV to be more mindful about the responsibilities of unimpaired driving. Pedestrians must exercise extreme caution when crossing roadways. If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident involving an SUV, you can contact the Palm Springs Personal Injury Lawyer or the Palm Desert Auto Accident Lawyer at Barry Regar A Professional Law Corporation for a free consultation.
