Imagine yourself in a dealership. As you walk by the more compact sedans and coupes, you suddenly stop at the much larger cars: the popular Tahoe, Escalade, and Range Rover. You beeline towards them to take a look. This magnetic pull towards the SUVs that one can feel often represents the danger of these cars on roads, especially in a busy city like Houston.
SUVs are becoming an increasingly more common sight, but these cars have a major downside. Not only are they bad for the environment, below expectations in terms of efficiency, and inadequate in gas mileage, but above all, they are very dangerous.
An SUV’s increased weight can lead to more momentum and slower braking, a hazard for pedestrians and smaller vehicles. Pedestrian deaths involving SUVs increased by 81% between 2009 and 2016, and even the combined number of fatal crashes involving other types of vehicles was 3.1% below those involving SUVs.
In more simple words, either people can buy SUVs less, or the companies that produce these cars can reduce the danger.
Taller SUVs are adored by buyers because they have a commanding view of the road. However, this higher center of gravity increases the chance of rollovers. Top-heavy SUVs also add stress to the brakes and cause more blown tires. The weight and height of the car presents more hazards to the smaller vehicles that drive with SUVs as well as pedestrians in their vicinity.
And it is easy to see why SUVs are so popular. They’re luxurious, the leg room is great, and they can get the kids to school every day. I can relate to this because my mom drives a Wagoneer. I have two siblings, so a compact car is not going to get the job done. However, safety is the number one priority, and with increasingly more dangerous vehicles filling up the roads, they are more dangerous than ever. The popularity of SUVs has increased by 37% every year from 2009 to 2016. These cars, as well as trucks, represent 67% of the U.S. auto market. Most people have no idea about the impact their cars have and are like moths drawn to a flame. In reality, people buy SUVs to feel safe. This “shield effect” that protects the drivers becomes a “steamroller effect” for pedestrians and smaller cars.
This is where reckless driving comes into play.
On top of the initial risks SUVs present, reckless driving has been reported to be more frequent by SUV drivers. Drivers of larger vehicles tend to disobey traffic laws, further endangering pedestrians and smaller cars.
One day, I was riding in my dad’s 2024 Honda Odyssey minivan. I looked out the window and spotted a guy looking at his phone, without a seatbelt on, in his Lincoln Navigator. The light turned yellow, signaling us to slow down, but this guy kept on driving without a care in the world. He finally noticed the sudden red light and came to a screeching halt just before the cars in the oncoming lanes started moving. I noticed that when the Navigator stopped, it seemed to almost jump forward with momentum.
Even as a ten year old, I realized how that situation could have turned out. Little me was just wincing with anticipation of the horrible sight and thinking, “That was close.” It was.
SUVs are what worries me when we go on the highway. Not carsickness, not breaking down, but a massive vehicle slamming into us with so much force, and it wasn’t even our fault. The increasing number of them on the road could hurt us all. You can feel it, too; the sheer power it wields – it can act as a shield, but also a deadly sword.
Although midsize SUVs are much safer than full-size vehicles, they are still big cars, they still roll over more, and they still are dangerous. And side crashes are another story. The SUVs you see today sure seem to be more shielding in the front and back rather than on the left or right.
Although they are considered Sport Utility Vehicles, SUVs are actually fully armored high-force cars, so being alert and aware of all the consequences of these vehicles is a way to stay safer. I encourage the government to make laws about the oversized cars that I see every day. As for reckless driving, if you drive an SUV, or if your parents do, be conscious of how much worse a car crash with a reckless driver would be in an SUV as opposed to a sedan. Keep your eyes on the lane, don't drive in a daze, and stay safe.
Opinion by Grady Miles
