Do parents of newborns buy huge SUV's because they think their kids will be safer?

Question

Is that a correct perception? Are those huge gas guzzlers really safer, at least for those in the SUV, rather than anyone they may hit? Is this a major reason we have so many SUV's on the road?

Answer 1

They want a place to put all the diapers and groceries they're gonna need for the baby.

Answer 2

My nephew and his family belong to that club plus it seems to be some sort of status symbol to them as they just bought a Cadillac Escillade...all I can figure is the intelligence gene missed a generation there.

All I can say is, I hope they can afford to drive it!

My opinion, give me a car nimble enough to miss the accident that I can afford to drive makes more sense.

Answer 3

I was under the impression that it was because SUVs are much more comfortable, especially for longer trips. They also look good. Everyone has a right to an SUV as long as they can afford it.

Answer 4

Well why dont the social elitists just order me to get something different then.Maybe they can even pay for it . Sooner or later they will have that power.

Then by God, we will all be safe for ever more and noone will ever die.

Answer 5

I dont know if it actually makes people any safer, but my dad TOTALLY used to think like that.. he always made me drive his massive behemoth of a cadillac because he said there was "more car around you" incase of an accident....

of course he has since changed his mind and got me a regular sized car... lol

Answer 6

Sure they're safe if you're on the inside but what if your kid gets hit by one of those ridiculous vehicles. The fact that a lot of them have bars on the front (to deflect cows and other beasts when out hunting) which will ensure maximum damage to anyone hit by them. If people want their children to be safer then learn to drive better. You can't be in one all the time. Sometimes your kids will be pedestrians. People are just stupid and wasteful and will jump at any excuse to justify their love of big stupid cars that make them feel important and say to the world "look how much I care for my kids. Could anyone care more than me. Look how much metal I can wrap them in"

Answer 7

No

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They were owned because of status symbol

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And that status symbol is gone to the pages of child's play things

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And that is the prof that American people do not have the since that God gave a fly

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Why else do you think all their homes are being foreclosed upon

because they wanted to look bigger more important than the poor people

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This is what I will call the SUV effect on a peoples

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Answer 8

That is a correct perception except that you assume in your question that it is always the SUV that hits someone else.  

When my buddy discovered he and his wife would have a child, he went out and bought "the biggest SUV they could afford," as his father advised him to do.  The rationale that he gave when I questioned that decision was this:

#1: If his wife and baby got hit, they suffer less damage than car.

#2: His wife can see over most traffic, which makes it safer to drive in.

#3: They can haul anything and everything needed when traveling with kids (you'd be surprised what is needed)

All very good reasons.

I too own a gaz guzzling SUV ... don't care what it costs per gallon either, I feel very safe driving it and it gives me plenty of room to enjoy when friends or family want to travel together.

I also use it to carry lots of things I need in business, or pull a boat to the lake, so it is perfect for me.

Just remember one thing if you are in a car ... if faced with the choice to crash or move ... get out of the way ... it will hurt your vehicle much worse than it will hurt mine... I promise.

Answer 9

Yes, that is exactly why they buy them!  And as far as I'm concerned they should be outlawed!

Women who drive SUVs regularly take up more than one parking space. they don't know how to use the mirrors properly, they drive as though they're invicible.

I think it's incredibly dangerous to have all those women out there who know in the back of their mind it'll be ok that they hit something (and this is evidenced by the number of them you see with scratch marks along the side - just ask your local panel beater).

And before you give me a thumbs down - I AM a woman who drives a Hiace van for a living, and have to deal with these SUVs every single day, in a million different unpleasant ways.  If you don't know how to drive a big car, you should not be driving one.

Maybe they should change driving tests to a wider bigger car - I bet a lot more people would have to do the test a few extra times!

Answer 10

Get little cars. To many people on earth anyway. Need to find more ways to thin out the herd.

Answer 11

Safety - is divided into three categories: the size & weight of a vehicle, passive safety features that help people stay alive and uninjured in a crash, and active safety features that help drivers avoid accidents

All cars must meet US Department Of Transportation standards for crash-worthiness.  Larger and heavier cars, however, are usually safer in a collision than smaller ones.   In relation to their numbers on the road, small cars account for more than twice as many deaths as large cars.  If a heavier vehicle collides head-on with a lighter one, the lighter vehicle and its occupants will suffer substantially more damage.

Answer 12

I think that the overall size of a vehicule is somehow translated into a safety rating.... the bigger the better.

   I don't beleive that you have to be in a huge SUV to get safety, but on the other hand would probably not run out and by a Smart Car precisely because I don't think i'd feel safe.

    I think it's a combination of extra space, decent performance and convenience that makes the SUV a popular choice.