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Re: Safest Cars but Still Good on Gas?
An interesting and complex topic. Overall, SUVs are no safer than a typical car. Their size and weight help in some crashes, but hinder safety in others, especially roll-overs. All that size and weight tends to crush the roof more in a roll over, than in a car.
And since SUV's are taller, their center of gravity is higher. They will flip over more easily during an accident, and in certain manoevers, such as skids and sudden lane changes.
Finally, even in a regular crash, all that size and weight might help you..... but it will only help to main/kill the occupants of any other car you might hit. (God forbid) how would you feel if you caused an accident.... and the unnecessary size of your truck wiped-out an innocent family in the other car?
Volvos today are very safe..... but generally no safer than any other modern car of similar size. New cars today, even inexpensive ones are far safer than the best cars of just a few years ago. Tremendous advances have been made, not only in safety features, like airbags etc, but also in cars with rigid passenger compartments (to protect passengers) combined with 'crush zones', so the people inside will not suffer such a sudden impact in a crash.
The safest cars are newer, somewhat larger family cars, with all possible safety features, including stability control.
Older SUVs, like the 4runner are not particularly safe at all. Tall, tippy, unstable, weak roof structure, no colission avoidance features, poor handling and cornering, primitive airbags, no side-impact protection bars in the doors.... not safe at all compared to other alternatives out there.
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12-13-2010, 10:48 PM
