The very large cars – the SUVs – do more harm than good in traffic, concludes a new investigation that has looked at accident statistics.
It is clearly safest for the individual driver to sit in a large, heavy car in the event of a traffic accident. But the big cars actually do more harm than good in the event of an accident.
This is shown by a new survey from The Economist .
The magazine's mapping shows that the number of people who die in accidents involving large SUVs and pickups is significantly more than the number of people who are "saved" by riding in these cars. That is, in the event of an accident.
The media base the conclusion on a review of 10 years of accident statistics from the American roads in a number of states, which together are home to a third of the country's population.
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Research shows, among other things, to:
- The risk of being driven in a large pickup or SUV is half the risk if the same driver or passenger was in a smaller car. For example, a car in the compact class. (Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Golf etc., ed.)
- The risk of people outside a large car being killed in a traffic accident is approximately 7 times higher than if the accident occurs in a smaller car
- For every life saved by a larger car, more than 12 people lose their lives in or outside of other cars.
Michael Anderson of the University of California compares the rising sales of SUVs to an arms race. But that does not change the fact that the type of car is insanely popular. Also here at home, where the most sold car in the month of August was the Volkswagen ID.4.
– When you see that the cars around you are getting heavier, you want to protect yourself by buying a bigger and heavier car, says Anderson.
On the other hand, the car manufacturers defend themselves by saying that you cannot look at things in such isolation. There is much more than just the weight of cars that is decisive for the outcome of a traffic accident. Blue. the cars' safety systems and/or lack thereof.
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