Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) Gain Popularity

No matter what type of vehicle you drive, if you've spent much time on any road surface in the past couple of years, you must have noticed an explosion. That momentous event is the WILD growth in popularity of larger vehicles called Sports Utility Vehicles, or SUVs. While such vehicles barely registered a blip on the vehicular radar screen when the 90s began, there are now well over sixty million such vehicles on America's roads.

The Rulers of Personal Vehicles

SUVs have become popular for several reasons:

• they have a very comfortable ride
• they're heavy and sturdy, making them safer in collisions
• they're capable of handling certain types of inclement weather better than smaller vehicles
• they're more stylish than pickup trucks and large vans, making them more attractive to female drivers.

The combination of power and safety have propelled these vehicles into a position of dominance in sales and, naturally, on the streets and highways.

Early word on SUVs was the substantially increased safety factor. Many insurance and safety experts initially hailed the arrival of such vehicles since they have helped to turn around the previous trend of smaller, lighter cars which were efficient fuel-users, but also very vulnerable to heavy damage in higher-speed collisions. The damage factor was a big contributor to serious driver injuries and fatalities. On the other hand, SUVs heralded the arrival of personal transportation that handled collisions better than the lightweights. Insurance companies originally shrank away from SUVs because of their high cost; but like everyone else, they warmed up to them, primarily because of their higher degree of safety. Manufacturers are still capitalizing on the size feature as they have announced plans to produce even bigger SUVs. Larger versions of these vehicles should spur even greater sales.

Sports Utility or Personal Assault Vehicles?

As the number of SUVs have increased, so has the amount of scrutiny from safety experts and the insurance industry. As with anything, SUVs appear to have a negative side. Ironically, one of the biggest issues is that they're - well - BIG! Although SUVs make their occupants safer, it comes with a price.

Construction - SUVs are not only heavier than most private passenger vehicles, they're also stiffer. SUVs react more like jeeps on wet roadways and on turns, having a tendency to rollover instead of experiencing increased rear-end motion (fish-tailing) in smaller vehicles. Further, with their heavier weight and stiffness, SUVs have bodies which don't have as much "give" during impacts with other vehicles.

Collision - This means that smaller, lighter vehicles that collide with SUVs experience a higher level of damage upon impact. Naturally, the occupants of the smaller vehicles which collide with SUVs face a higher chance of serious injury or death. SUVs have front bumpers that are significantly higher than most vehicles and this can cause big problems. Instead of helping to mitigate the impact by making contact with the other vehicle's bumper, it maximizes damage because the SUV's hardest part makes contact with the more vulnerable body of a smaller vehicle. In fact, depending upon its speed, an SUV may actually run over the top of a smaller car.

Increased Liability - the nature of the construction elements of an SUV during accidents with smaller cars results in these types of vehicles inflicting more serious bodily injuries to other operators. This fact increases the likelihood of more lawsuits against SUV owners and operators. More claims increase the cost to insurers and results in higher insurance rates. In fact, a number of insurers have told the public to expect higher rates or perhaps premium surcharges for SUVs in order to make up for their greater exposure to causing serious accidents.

So, Is Bigger, Better?

Well, yes, but only up to a point. While SUVs may fit the needs of persons who put a premium on vehicle strength and safety, the positives are balanced by the fact that such vehicles inflict more serious damage on smaller vehicles and their occupants; this fact is going to result in increased claims and insurance costs. Further, as the number of SUVs on the road increases, there will be a diminishing return on their safety. Why? Because instead of colliding with smaller vehicles, the probability will increase that SUVs will crash into other SUVs. In the end, a person interested in buying and driving an SUV will just have to consider the positives and negatives and make a decision….oh, the responsibility of being a king of the road.

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