I too fired off a letter and I was very direct!
The following is for the Board and is NOT THE RESPONSE I WROTE.
Most of this is just crap and a little smoke and mirrors! I have owned SUV's for years and I can say this, they may roll over from time to time, but most of that can be attributed to POOR driving by both sexes. Remember, months ago when the Explorers were rolling over when they had a blowout? Ever had a blow out going 75 MPH? I have and it is VERY easy to control the vehicle and come to a safe stop in an SUV. It's easy! Let off the gas and allow the vehicle to slow down on its own, steering off of the roadway, as stated right there in the driving manual in drivers’ education.
They get most of their anti-SUV numbers from the rollover and tire problems and from WANT A BE Import SUV's. I say this because of the numbers they are quoting are very similar to those stats and have simply re-hashed for their self-serving article.
I have never professed myself to be an expert at much. I counted the traffic accidents I have taken over the years and the totals were staggering. I have taken in excess of 3,000 traffic collision reports and some of them were FATAL ACCIDENTS and this is WHAT I KNOW.
Honda, Nissan, Toyota and most of the other imports will GET YOU KILLED. Most of the fatals I have seen were small cars vs. small cars. Most of the people I have seen walk away were in larger vehicles, SUV's and such. And it did not appear to matter what they hit or who hit them, (with-in reason) they survived and the vehicle usually held up well.
Import SUV's don't do as well as the American SUV's. The Toyota Land Cruiser is an exception and the only exception that comes to mind. Give me a Ford, Chevy and now a Hummer for those collisions. I take'm EVERY time.
This brings me to another point, the Honda CRV, Rav 4 and other "WANT A BE" SUV's are the ones responsible for the inaccurate numbers. These PRETEND SUV's do not hold up well and Sustain CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE even in minor crashes. Not to mention, the poor folks driving them.
The only thing true about their study is that if you hit a smaller car while driving an REAL SUV, it is probably game over for them, cuz it will be a very devastating impact for the unlucky Honda or Nissan driver. These small cars and imports in general, do not hold up and yield FATALS in these situations.
Ever seen the 5 and 10 MPH bumper tests? Big deal! Some of the imports hold up well there and are OK. But get in a collision in that car with another car of the same type going 40 MPH and its GAME OVER. This is what produces more fatal collisions than any SUV related crash. AND I DO MEAN FATAL collisions, the ones like when I arrive FIRST on the scene of a traffic collision and my first radio transmission is "This is confirmed FATAL."
That's just my opinion, and I could be wrong.
Amy, It has been my experience, that the numbers are about 50 / 50 when it comes to stupid crashes and stupid turning movements for MEN and WOMEN. We all do it and ALL of our female officers are great drivers and I'd ride with them any time! There, does that make up for Mac? Just kidding ha ha ha ha
I say "Screw'em, they have to have something to talk about to justify their pathetic failed miserable lives!"
HeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeHawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
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HeeeeeeeeHawwwwwwwwwww
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