cars again: why suvs suck

[hot_pastrami]

Whether an SUV is "safer" depends on the conext of the accident... none of the author's tests were a head-on collision, for instance, so he can't speak to the experience there.

But I think the author's point, as the numbers seem to demonstrate, is that the majority of accidents are avoidable, provided your vehicle is nimble enough to do the avoiding. If the Titanic hadn't been so damn big, it could have missed that iceburg.

I did feel safer when driving my low-slung Camaro SS, because on the few occasions that my safety was threatened, I had a bigger toolbox to work with... if the brakes weren't going to help me, I also had a responsive gas pedal and steering wheel... and they saved me in a few close calls. But when I was driving my SUV (a Chevy S10 Blazer), a crank of the steering wheel was a dangerous prospect given the rollover risk, and the gas pedal was not too helpful since the V6 took some winding up to alter the inertia of all that steel. But of course the Camaro felt like (and was) a comparative deathtrap when driving in icy/snowy conditions.

I think the author's dissection of the psychology of SUV drivers is flawed, however. He says that SUV drivers are insecure, but how secure is the guy that bought the Boxster insead? Everyone knows that Porsche drivers never use the urinals in public restrooms, opting for the stalls... think about it.