If you assume your full-size pickup truck or large utility vehicle is as safe or safer to drive than the family sedan, you’re right — larger vehicles tend to produce fewer and less costly accidents.
But beware if you drive a small pickup or small utility vehicle. Their accident results show a much higher chance of injury than results of passenger cars.
Why? One big reason is what is called the rollover factor. Rolling over is involved in 80 percent of all motorist deaths in single-vehicle crashes of small utility vehicles. Nearly 10,000 people died last year in passenger vehicles that rolled over and nearly two thirds of rollover deaths involve ejection, including through rear doors of utility vehicles.
Standards for automobiles always have differed from those applied to light trucks and utility vehicles. That’s because for years manufacturers built pickups and utility vehicles mainly for cargo, not passengers. But changing consumer tastes now make these models the fastest growing segment of new vehicle sales. Today, they’re hauling a lot more passengers than cargo.
The design differences that have excluded light pickups and small utility vehicles from many auto safety standards also make them handle differently than cars.
For example, vehicles made for off-road use or for carrying heavy loads is designed differently than a passenger car and have a higher center of gravity to handle rugged surfaces.
Brakes are designed to be aggressive on the rear axle, so the front brakes don’t overheat when transporting loads and need to quickly stop.
Hard braking many times results in skidding. If the rear brakes lock up, the driver may find the vehicle swapping ends with one another. The vehicle may then skid sideways down the road and begin to roll over because of the gravity.factor.
In general rollover accident occur happen when drivers expect light trucks or utility vehicles to perform like regular cars and make quick lane changes or corner too fast.
This article is provided as a courtesy of Nationwide Insurance Agent Bob Muffler (Tops Plaza) 5833 S Transit Rd, Lockport, NY 14094 (www.bobmuffler.com). This article is for informational purposes only. For information on your specific insurance needs or situations, please contact your insurance agent.
Filed under: Auto Insurance, Lockport Insurance, Nationwide Insurance
