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

Which is why you need legislation. If you've got into an arms race where people are actively choosing to drive cars larger than they need purely because they're larger than other people's and thus more likely to come off better in an accident, regardless of the price to pedestrians, other vehicles and the environment then that's the sort of destructive spiral where the nanny state needs to step in because game theory is pushing people to behave in everyone's worse interests.

@SamanthaCaine

Driving more slowly would have been dangerous in itself to him and to other road users.

I’ve seen some terrible accidents on this particular road from risky overtaking and some of those who were being overtaken have been caught up in those accidents.

There is a good reason that driving too slowly is dealt with in the Highway Code. It is dangerous.

My DH was driving at a sensible speed well within the speed limit but not too slowly to irritate other road users or to be pulled over by the police.

So the nanny state is going to ban commercial vehicles then?

If she hadn’t been driving an SUV she probably wouldn’t have rolled it. There’s a lot of research about how they’re more likely to roll.

Child car seats are absolutely huge now and with recommendations to rear face for as long as possible people with young families need bigger cars. I am soon to have 3 in car seats and the only vehicles I could find to allow this (3 full seats across the back) are MPVs or vans.

EVs being mentioned as heavy, maybe, but they're also all new so likely to have advanced safety tech. Mine is not heavier than my previous similarly sized diesel people carrier but stops much quicker and more reliably. I have had cause to do a sudden emergency stop recently, at speed, to avoid killing a pedestrian doing something stupid.

They're also very easy to drive at 20 due to no gears.

Yes, large SUVs are worse for those outside of them in an accident but (probably) better for those inside.

I guess most owners know that and feel increased safety for them is worth the reduction in safety for others?

Well the vehicle that side swiped her at a high speed maybe just had a little bit to do with the accident. But you’re probably right it was the SUV that just randomly decided to flip on it’s back like a turtle 4-5 times.

I’m sure your an expert and all but I’ll trust my husband’s years of accident experience and first hand knowledge of the situation.

"Bigger than they need"

There are a lot of rules and regulations over larger commercial vehicles. Nobody in their right mind is going to routinely drive one that's bigger than necessary for the purpose.

"Bigger than you need"

Does anyone really need a car ?

What do we mean by need ?

Be able to do what we want when we want? To take the job we want? To go shopping? To pick up a bag of crisps ? I mean we should mostly be able to do that by walking or cycling or taking public transport ( even if it does take longer /cost more )

I think you missed the point. I’m sure a lot of people would say they need the safety on an SUV when driving next to large commercial vehicles. Who knows, my cousin may still be alive today if was in one when hit by one. IIRC There we’re survivors in other types of vehicles that were involved in the same crash.

Maybe because they actually live in the real world.

Electric cars are on average 33% heavier than their fossil fuel equivalents on the road. While they are a good thing for air quality, there are already concerns about the strain they will put on old bridges, etc.
Perhaps the safety of other road users should also be considered.

There's also concerns over the rubbish quoted by people on the internet.

There is no such concern about EV's, except for the anti EV press. If bridges were a concern, government would've legislated for SUV's and the general increase in vehicle size long before EV's came about.

Well duh, if you have a higher centre of gravity it’s basic physics that you’re more likely to roll. Obviously even with a non SUV there will be some impacts which could cause it to roll but there is hard evidence that with the same impact an SUV is more likely to roll under certain conditions inc a side swipe. But feel free to believe your hubby.

I mean a quick google will show I’m correct, you don’t even need to read anything too detailed.

https://www.liveabout.com/suvs-most-likely-to-roll-533722

Oh I will thanks.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/oct/07/a-deadly-problem-should-we-ban-suvs-from-our-cities

passangers are 11% more likely to die in an suv crash according to this which surprised me. Maybe because they’re more likely to roll?

A person is 11% more likely to die in a crash inside an SUV than a regular saloon. Studies show they lull drivers into a false sense of security, encouraging them to take greater risks. Their height makes them twice as likely to roll in crashes and twice as likely to kill pedestrians by inflicting greater upper body and head injuries, as opposed to lower limb injuries people have a greater chance of surviving.

Twice as likely to roll. Naturally all situations are different but all things being equal, an SUV is much more likely to roll.

Hubby is likely quietly trying to prevent wife from panicking and will say anything. Either that or knows little about physics or accidents.

Was a passenger in a 4x4 stationary at a junction a number of years ago. Boy racer pulled off at speed on a wet road and spun and the speed and impact he hit me at was insane. Police advised I would have been likely to have suffered catastrophic injuries in a normal sized car. I get your point but although I currently don’t drive one I totally get the point of them. People drive like lunatics a lot of the time.. I’d rather walk out of an accident.

Exactly but hey, let’s believe the man rather than the evidence. It’s bad enough with mansplaining in general without women promoting mansplaining.

Ableism at its finest.

We have a suv, only recently bought. The reason we chose it was because with two dds with chronic pain conditions, a car ride to the GP or hospital was incredibly difficult for them, never mind if they wanted to go somewhere for fun. We tested several before we bought the one we did, to make sure they were comfortable. The relief for one of my dds to not have the chronic pain in her feet made worse by road vibrations was immense.

The worst drivers we have here, a small city, are some drivers of BMW, Audi, and Volvo family cars, not the 4x4s.

Or he’s a firefighter with decades of accident experience, was on the scene, spoke with all of the people involved in the accident (including the driver who was not seriously injured), and the police.

But you’re right I’m sure “hubby” was just making it all up to pacify my delicate sensibilities.

Yes vehicles with a higher center of gravity will roll more often than those without. But you all seem awfully invested in trying to convince me that you know better than someone who was there.

Are you always this sexist?

This isn't the sexism you are (wilfully) misconstruing it to be.