What impact does the safety record of SUVs have on the economy Essay

What impact does the safety record of SUVs have on the economy - Essay Example By examining the safety record to demonstrate how SUVs are indeed responsible for more deaths and injuries than passenger cars and how these excess injuries in turn influence losses in wages and productivity while increasing police, medical and insurance costs, attention throughout the paper is focused on how poor safety ratings resulting from the use of these vehicles adversely impact the economy. The physical size of an SUV mistakenly provides drivers with a feeling of security, but the facts show that these vehicles actually place drivers and passengers in much greater danger of death, whiplash, and spinal injuries. The illusion of bigger is better has been proven to be a dangerous myth. The impression that SUVs are safer is driven more on the perception that they are bigger and can therefore provide more protection, but accident studies show this is not the case. Mid-sized and smaller SUVs such as the Nissan Pathfinder, Suzuki Sidekick, and Jeep Wrangler had driver death-rates significantly higher than the average vehicle. In examining deaths per million passengers, SUVs had nearly the same death rates in accidents as small cars, but substantially more fatalities than mid-sized or large cars (â€Å"SUVs: Risks†, n.d.). Still, the perception of bigger is safer abounds. Mothers with the best of intentions for their family decide to purchase SUVs sacrificing the added expense for gas for what they believe is a safer vehicle for their children. SUVs, because of their high center-of-gravity, are much more likely to roll over than smaller vehicles or mini vans in all circumstances. Studies have shown the high profile of these vehicles contributes to this inclination especially as the result of an accident. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research organization for the insurance industry, tested SUVs to show how well these vehicles protect the driver and passengers in a collision. Midsized SUVs were rated on a basis of â€Å"good†,