Redesigned SUVs Mean Crashes Aren't as Deadly, Says IIHS

Just the Facts:

• Redesigned front ends mean that SUVs and pickup trucks pose far less of a deadly risk to people in cars and minivans than before, according to a study released on Wednesday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
• More compatible designs mean that "SUVs aren't the safety concern they once were," the study said.
• SUVs were involved in crashes that killed car/minivan occupants at a rate of 44 deaths per million registered vehicle years in 2000-'01. That rate dropped by nearly two-thirds to 16 in 2008-'09.

ARLINGTON, Virginia ? Redesigned front ends mean that SUVs and pickup trucks pose far less of a deadly risk to people in cars and minivans than before, according to a study released on Wednesday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

More compatible designs mean that "SUVs aren't the safety concern they once were," the study said.

SUVs were involved in crashes that killed car/minivan occupants at a rate of 44 deaths per million registered vehicle years in 2000-'01. That rate dropped by nearly two-thirds to 16 in 2008-'09.

"The researchers attribute much of the change to two things: improved crash protection in the cars and minivans, thanks to side airbags and stronger structures, and newer designs of SUVs and pickups that align their front-end energy-absorbing structures with those of cars," the study said.

Researchers were careful to note that the study results don't contradict the "basic physics of crashes."

"Size and weight are still key, and a small, lightweight vehicle is going to fare worse than a big, heavy vehicle in a crash," it said. "In general, SUVs and pickups are heavier than cars, so in that sense different types of vehicles always will be mismatched. But the study shows that, beyond weight, differences in vehicle styles don't have to be a safety problem."

The IIHS says that recently calculated driver death rates for 2005-'08 models show that drivers of SUVs are among the least likely to die in a crash, largely because of electronic stability control.

Inside Line says: Maybe you don't have to be so paranoid about sharing the road with an SUV now.

Source: http://www.insideline.com/car-news/redesigned-suvs-mean-crashes-arent-as-deadly-says-iihs.html

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