Kids and SUVs
Bigger ain't better after all, despite researchers' initial hypotheses. A new study found that kids get hurt more often when a vehicle rolls over. And what vehicles tend to roll? Top-heavy SUVs. That isn't to say SUVs are more dangerous, since the weight advantage helps prevent injuries where rollovers DON'T happen. But that Excursion in your driveway isn't the protective bubble you think it is.
I would link to the study itself in the journal Pediatrics, but it won't be posted until Jan. 4.
"I think there is a segment of the buying public that may be buying them with the false impression that they are buying the safest vehicle they can for their families," Rae Tyson (of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration) said.