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Published on Wednesday, May 19, 2004
in the Tampa Tribune
TAMPA - In March, a blowout in the tire of an SUV caused the vehicle to swerve onto a median. The driver over compensated and the SUV rolled over. Luckily, in that accident, the injuries to the driver and a passenger were not life threatening. Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Larry Coggins said the accident in Polk County was caused by a financial problem.
The owner didn't realize SUV tires cost so much more than car tires. She couldn't afford to replace the worn tires, and one eventually blew. Coggins said many people have to realize SUVs are much different from cars and must be equipped and driven differently.
``It's got larger tires and larger brakes,'' Coggins said. ``If you can't afford to maintain it, safety is compromised.''
Sales Rising
The American Automobile Association South reports that in 2003, for the first time in many years, sales of light trucks exceeded car sales, although there are still many more cars than trucks on the nation's roads.
``A lot of people are thinking they're sitting taller than everyone else so they're less likely to get injured,'' Coggins said. ``That's the wrong attitude to have.''
More people still die in car crashes than in SUVs, but the number of deaths in cars is decreasing as the number of deaths in SUVs is on the rise.
According to statistics released by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, car fatalities dropped by nearly 4 percent between 2002 and 2003, with 19,638 deaths last year. SUV fatalities increased by 11 percent in the same period, with 4,451 deaths last year.
More than half of those SUV deaths were caused by rollovers, the statistics show. In an SUV, the center of gravity is higher, increasing the possibility of tipping over. With a propensity to roll over, seat belts are even more important in SUVs than in cars, Coggins said.
Perils Of Inexperience
Randy Bly, a spokesman with AAA South, said many SUV manufacturers are creating safer trucks than in the past. The increases in deaths are caused by significantly more SUVs on the road and by inexperienced SUV drivers.
Driving aggressively, tailgating and sharp lane changes are dangerous in a car but much more so in an SUV, Bly said.
At a safe speed and at a reasonable distance from other vehicles, the height of SUVs provide drivers a longer sight range. That gives them more time to react. But, Bly said, drivers need that extra time because SUVs are heavier and need more time to slow down safely.
``Particularly with SUVs,'' Bly said, ``there is no dispensation from the laws of physical science.''
Keeping the speed to reasonable levels and leaving more room between an SUV and the vehicle in front of it creates a much safer driving situation, Bly said.
``A lot of people drive their SUVs like a sports car,'' he said. ``This, I think, is one of the reasons you're seeing the statistics.''
Coggins said insurance companies are also seeing the statistics. When he traded in his SUV recently, his insurance company gave him a surprise.
``My insurance went down when I went from an SUV to a Corvette,'' he said. ``Corvettes hardly ever roll over.''