SMALL AUTOS TWICE AS LIKELY TO ROLL OVER THAN SUVs (2011, salvage)
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Not a snowballs chance that I will ever believe a fishtailing Toyota 4-Runner of any year has a lower possibility of rolling over than my 2015 VW GTI doing the same thing at the same speed.
FACT: CARS ROLL OVER AT TWICE THE RATE THAN SUVs, ACCORDING TO Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. This information was made available to the public clear back in 2011. And no one keeps track of such knowledge than the Insurance Industry, as it helps them set insurance rates to keep their companies profitable.
But a lot of small car drivers, keep trying to spread that SUVs are so much more dangerous than autos, but they are wrong.
In our part of the county where go down to any parking lot and see that 3/4ths of all vehicles will be either SUVs or Pickups, we rarely see a SUV or Pickup that has rolled over, but not unusual to see regular cars that have rolled.
#2 Factor they pointed out in this insurance institute study, is the small cars are much more dangerous due to their small size, and more people die due to the size of the vehicle. It is much safer to be in a midsize or large SUV in case of an accident.
SUMMERY OF WHAT IS NOW KNOWN.
Small cars are roll over at twice the rate of Modern SUVs.
Modern Large SUVs are Safer than cars and have a much lower death rate compared to small cars.
Modern Large SUVs roll over rate is half that of smaller cars.
I don't think I've ever seen a small car do this...
I don't care about statistics. They are irrelevant to me. I have a crew cab 4x4 diesel pickup but I also have a Porsche 911. I drive each one according to its capabilities. If I tried to drive my truck like I drive my Porsche I'd probably get into trouble with it!
Not sure if it's still true or not, but it was my understanding that corvette had the highest rollover rate of any gm vehicle, despite being the most intrinsically-stable vehicle they made, for decades.. When I worked at a dealership there was a legend about a new-car sales manager who totaled a new corvette driving it from the wash-bay to the front of the store. Heck, a GM VP crashed one at the Detroit Grand Prix by driving like a jackass just a couple weeks ago. If a corvette rolls over, it's a driver problem, not a corvette problem.
There was also a large discrepancy between Camaro & firebird, vehicles that shared everything mechanically - except the demographics of the drivers.
It's certainly entirely believable that your "average" large/expensive suv driver is going to be older & less likely to drive the same way a young small-car driver is.
He's right, though. twice as many cars roll over every year as SUVs and pickups and vans. And that's according to the NHTSA.
The thing is, rollover accidents are actually extremely rare, be it cars or SUVs, with less than .001% of accidents being roll over accidents. And less than 3% of all drivers getting into any sort of accident, which makes your chances of rolling a car OR SUV vanishingly small, so long as you don't drive like a nut.
Hahahah - Tanks are even LESS likely to roll over!
SUVs are dangerous to people driving smaller vehicles because they can do more damage due to greater weight. Also SUVs can be hard to see around but they are up high so they don't experience it as much except with even larger vehicles than themselves.
Bigger means safer (in general)...but I'll still never get an SUV
He's right, though. twice as many cars roll over every year as SUVs and pickups and vans. And that's according to the NHTSA.
The thing is, rollover accidents are actually extremely rare, be it cars or SUVs, with less than .001% of accidents being roll over accidents. And less than 3% of all drivers getting into any sort of accident, which makes your chances of rolling a car OR SUV vanishingly small, so long as you don't drive like a nut.
But how do you know an SUV would not also roll over in exactly the same situation???
Who remembers the Suzuki Summersalt? I mean the Suzuki Samurai. It was an SUV that was notorious for rolling over.
Right, but people here will challenge that statement, saying the risk was overblown.
I get a kick out of a man in his 70's around here who drives a lifted, spring over axle, Samurai.
Not only does this vehicle have a high center of gravity, it also possesses a relatively small mass and has a short wheelbase(bad for changing ends in snow and ice) In other words, a trifecta for accident outcomes.
He's no fool, probably well aware of this. So I guess he's just thumbing his nose at the automotive worry warts.
But how do you know an SUV would not also roll over in exactly the same situation???
Not saying they wouldn't. I'm saying that factually twice as many cars roll over as SUVs, and in either case, very few roll over, ever. I've seen two vehicles roll over in front of me on the interstate, one a Ford Explorer that hit the Jersey barrier and flipped on it's side and the other a Honda Accord that got a bit sideways and rolled into the median. Most, and I mean the vast majority, of rollover accidents are tripping events where the vehicle got sideways and hit a curb or ditch, or loose dirt. This can happen to any car, and none are more or less likely to roll in those situations.
The main point is, if you're afraid of rolling over, either don't drive ANYTHING, OR.. drive ANYTHING and don't drive like a nut. Choosing what vehicle you're going to drive based on a chance of rollover is patently stupid and uninformed. It's like being afraid of a meteorite hitting you; it happens, but it's not often enough to be scared of.
I don't think car size has as much to do with traffic accidents and fatalities. Bigger cars are not necessarily safer than small ones, but it works if everyone downsizes together.
It has more to do with driving skills, attention and following the rules.
Europe is known for small cars. The traffic is very dense, the speed is higher, BUT road safety is far better than in the United States. Americans die on the roads at twice the rate of Europeans. ... The World Health Organization calculates an average of 8.7 fatalities per 100,000 people in high income countries compared with 11.4 in the U.S. and only 5.5 in the EU. That's the average. Some EU countries average is as low as 3 per 100,000.
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Choosing what vehicle you're going to drive based on a chance of rollover is patently stupid and uninformed. It's like being afraid of a meteorite hitting you; it happens, but it's not often enough to be scared of.
