Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
SUVs: Is the Convenience Worth the Risk?
Automakers have put their customers in a predicament: you have to choose safety or convenience.
When you’re shopping for a new vehicle, you have many choices to consider. You might want something smaller and more fuel-efficient, but what if you have children that you need to take to soccer games and on camping trips? Not only do you need room for your passengers, you also need room for soccer balls and camping gear.
If you are considering purchasing an SUV, here are some facts to consider:
- The most stable SUV is still more unstable than the most unstable car.
- About 25% of deaths in crashes of cars and minivans involve rolling over. This jumps to 59% in SUVs.
- An SUV has the highest rate of death in rollover accidents and rollovers are almost three times more likely to occur with an SUV than a passenger car.
Causes for SUV Rollovers
SUVs are more likely than other vehicles to rollover due to:
- Their center of gravity is higher than other vehicles–more likely to tip.
- The roof is not strong enough to withstand the impact in a rollover, resulting in a vehicle roof crush.
- The doors and windows are defective. The doors are likely to open and the windows crush, making it easier for the occupants to be ejected.
There are several things the automakers can do to reduce the design flaws in SUVs, including installing electronic stability controls, or ESC, strengthening the roof and installing side air bags, but these are not present or available in many of the SUVs currently on the car lot.
If You’ve Been Injured in an SUV Crash
The injuries sustained in a crash involving an SUV can be minor or deadly or anywhere in between. Some victims might walk away with scratches and bruises. Others might never walk again or have a brain injury so severe they’ll be in a permanent vegetative state for the rest of their lives.
If you do decide to purchase an SUV, make sure you check the safety statistics on each make and model. Some SUVs are safer than others, so make sure you do your research before going to the dealer.
Free Consultations
If you’ve been injured in an SUV accident that was caused by the negligent actions of another, call the Boston SUV accident attorneys at Kiley Law Group. Our attorneys will review your case for FREE and advise you on the best course of legal action to recover the best compensation your injuries require.
Call 1-888-208-1695 today!
