Impact of SUVs in a crash

[MassiveCars]

Recently there was a terrible accident involving a 2 ton car
What stood out was the mention of the weight of the vehicle
So I did a couple of calcs
An SUV of 1972kg doing 30mph has the same Kinetic Energy of a small car of 1221kg doing 38mph
A larger SUV of 2598kg has the same Kinetic Energy of a small car of 1221kg doing 44mph
All these large SUVs doing 30mph create the same damage as a smaller car doing 38mph to 44mph
There must be enough maths & physics teachers on here to check this out
I did think of mentioning the small car and the big car types ?

But large SUVs (=large weight) are a much more serious danger to kids at 30mph than your small cars at 30mph

There is great emphasis on 30mph, perhaps we should enforce slower speeds for heavier vehicles if safety is the objective

Don't forget that cars that sit higher above the ground are more likely to impact chests/heads, instead of legs, which alters survivability.

I agree with you.

There is absolutely no need, u less you’re using it off road, to have such a massive fuck-off car

There already are slower speeds for those of us with light goods vehicles. We only get to go 50 on single carriageways and 60 on dual carriageways.

the problem is people taking their tests and then not keeping up their learning. We all learned how stopping distances age effected by wet, weight, speed, etc, but people don’t care tk remember or think, they just drive.
fegukar re tests at the drivers expense is my solution.

You're not going to be a fan of electric vehicles then: even a small one often weighs as much as an SUV. Plus you can't even hear them coming.

Was that the problem though? Reports stated the woman had a seizure and then pressed the accelerator during her fit. That could happen to anybody. Will you ban all EVs, vans and lorries?

KajsaKavat
hi I wasnt aiming at vans and light good vehicles, they are obviously heavier but they in the main have a reason for their size and weight; to carry gods etc...

Zeus rides in a van?

I thought he had a chariot. Not sure what they weigh.

SpinCycles
I hadnt thought of EVs when I posted, but good point

Also I know that anybody can have a seizure
It was that the article pointed out the weight of the vehicle
and that is the damaging factor + speed

We have controls on speed but none on weight + speed

If we did then maybe we wouldnt have so may SUVs

If you do that though you'll have to reduce limits even lower for EVs: a modest sized EV generally weighs more than an SUV.

Also in reality on single lane/ urban roads you cannot reduce speed limits only for specific vehicle categories. Everyone would end up having to go at the lower limit. Then there would be more conjestion and pollution.

My SUV rates really well in crashes. Maybe others need to factor in their cars are made out of the equivalent of aluminum foil and plan accordingly.

Agree, there just seems to be an explosion of SUVs getting bigger and bigger
I just think its obscene
and we are supposed to be concerned about the environmental impacts
pushing a 2 ton vehicle around has got to be worse tha 1 ton vehicle, regardless of how efficient it is

I agree. There is no need for these grotesque cars

Ultimately accidents will sometimes happen, sad as it is. Teaching people better road safety would be good - cyclists and pedestrians as well as drivers! And as technology improves increasingly new cars have systems where they will break/ stop automatically if there is an obstacle, overriding the driver if necessary/ if they are unresponsive, which should improve things substantially once older cars without this functions are phased out.

saltinesandcoffeecups
how heavy is ur aluminium vehicle?
compare the kinetic energy in a crash with a car half its weight

Well, that depends on how it is manufactured and what from, where it is produced, how it is powered and how good its engine is at power conversion.

It's probably more practical to build better barriers between roads and schools.

My car isn't a SUV but weighs around 1700kg. You can't ban everything in life that might be dangerous!

SpinCycles
we are a long way off when all vehicles have that technology
even with that technoology, it would not be full proof
and then we are back to physics
more weight+speed is worse than less weight at same speed

You misunderstood me. My car/suv isn’t aluminum. But a lot of the small cars on the road seem to be.

In other words if you buy a tiny lightweight car don’t be surprised when everything on the roads outweigh you and you have shitty prospects in a crash

Nothing is 100% fool-proof. The world is full of risk, it cannot be eliminated.

Perhaps requiring people to retrofit that technology would be a better solution then.

Lots of people do have genuine reasons for needing larger cars. And as I said EVs are often even heavier. And quiet so more risk of not realising one is there. Vans and lorries are necessary. You can't set different speed limits for different vehicles on single lane roads. So I am not sure what you expect to happen.

QuestionableMouse
I am not suggesting banning everything that is dangerous etc....
I am just remarking the explosion in SUVs and their increase weight has a potential consequence; an increase risk to pedestrians if you hit them with an SUV at 30mph rather than a Ford fiesta at 30mph

When you see the massive explosion of SUVs on the road and the massive number that are used on school runs, it looks like a worrying trend
and I wonder if ppl realise the increase risk with increase in weight has, not on the SUV driver but on anybody they might infortunately hit

I think there is too much resistance from SUVers and maybe denial

Yes your car will survive a crash, but the people you hit with it won't.

Oh another anti SUV thread, how original

'We'

'Obscene'

'Grotesque'

There's some hyperbolic language right there.

Absolute full disclosure here, I've failed my driving test five times. I'm not someone who should be allowed on the road. I'm all for accepting one's limitations.

It does allow me some non-biased observations as a non-driver though.

Some people are terrible drivers, there are some people who I refuse to be a passenger in their car.

And it's not based on how massive their car is.

I actually understand why people who are quite safe drivers would like a massive car, because there are a lot of dangerous dicks on the road.

I also see, that some of the dangerous dicks also drive massive cars.

So.

It's a bit of an arms race.

There are dicks on the road.

I can afford a massive car which is less likely to get squashed in an accident.

I will therefore drive a massive car.

Because my family, who are immediate to me, matter more than a nebulous idea of something that may or may not happen.

I get why people drive massive cars. It feels safer than driving a small tin shack on a motorway at speed.

I've seen bad driving from both.

Terrible.

And, 'great news!', I, as a seasoned passenger call the police when I see erratic or dangerous driving. Be it a Ranger Rover, a Smart car or a wagon. I see you all!