I agree with both CJ and Jane. It's a crazy world out there!
SUVs and pickups not good in U.S. 2006 crash stats
By: Drivers.com staff
Date: Tuesday, 13. November 2007
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report on traffic fatalities and estimates of injuries for 2006 shows some interesting trends.
The figure of 42,642 people killed may be staggering but it's 2% down from 2005. The figure of 2,575,000 injured is even more staggering, but it's not far off the normal - and it's down 4.6% from 2005.
Interestingly, while fatalities have not changed a lot since 2,000, injuries have shown a statistically significant decline, as shown by a graph on page 8 of the report
Also, although exposure rates (Vehicle Miles Traveled) increased slightly (0.2%), both fatalities per VMT and injuries per VMT declined. However, worthy of note is that while occupants killed and injured in passenger vehicles declined for just about every type of vehicle, the exception was SUVs. Also worthy of note is that SUVs had the largest increase in registrations.
While "occupants killed" figures declined by 3.3% overall, and by 3.8% for passenger cars, the SUV rate increased by 1.6%
Passenger vehicle occupants killed in rollover crashes went down 1.6%, but for vans the figure dropped 24%. On the other hand, the figure for pickups went up by 1.6%
More than half of all passenger vehicle occupants killed were NOT wearing seatbelts!
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JickNonas,
CJ,
SUV and trucks hold way more stuff than any car.
They are way funner to drive.
If you get in an accident at all you are a bad driver. If you drive safe, you shouldn't get in an accident.
You can die in a car too because they are just little tin cans.
They are not con jobs, you just probably have a little Honda and have never experienced a truck.
Jane Fredrickson,
Yes, I wish more people would understand that SUVs are just a con job by marketing departments of car companies.
They don't hold much more stuff than a car.
They don't offer a better driving experience.
They don't provide "more traction" -- a common misconception (they are really only helpful when accelerating in snow etc., and then only marginally),
And you are more likely to die in them.
