Why big cars are dangerous
When buying a car, a motorist counts not only on the comfort of driving in urban conditions, but also on the ability to move off-road, transport heavy and oversized cargo. But for others, a pickup or SUV is a source of increased danger.
Who are big cars for?
Experts from the US Highway Institute conducted a study that showed that the size of a car in an accident matters. A large car is more dangerous for the driver and passenger of the car it collided with. This is due to the large mass and size. These indicators are proportional to the force of impact and inertia.
According to the same studies, SUVs and crossovers have a greater risk of killing the driver of the car they collide with. Pickups are more dangerous cars in this regard, since the percentage of death of the driver of another car in a collision is an order of magnitude higher.
SUVs become less dangerous
Manufacturers of large cars pay considerable attention to the safety of the vehicle, and representatives of the SUV segment have become less dangerous. IIHS researchers have documented an intended trend towards increased compatibility between SUVs and passenger cars during crashes. First of all, in simple cars, the security system has improved, the design has become stronger, and side airbags have also appeared.
At the same time, low compatibility of small cars with pickups has been noted so far. Here, the death rate of car drivers is still high.
Why SUVs are dangerous for ordinary cars
In addition to the force of inertia and impact in a collision, ground clearance is also a decisive factor. The increased ground clearance of SUVs and crossovers allows, in an accident, to strike higher than the programmed deformation zones in a passenger car. As a result, the designers' calculations for the safety of a passenger car are irrelevant, since the impact in a collision with an SUV falls on other areas.
Due to the many differences in performance and design between SUVs, pickup trucks and passenger cars, there is an increased risk for passengers in passenger cars in an accident. Therefore, manufacturers of the latter are trying to improve safety performance.
