A common response uttered by people when asked about why they prefer driving SUV’s is that they feel out of harm’s way while driving a bigger vehicle. However those same people end up paying additional amount in auto insurance. Regardless of the belief that SUVs are secure than the smaller vehicles, they do constitute notable risks. They results in higher auto insurance rates when compared to smaller autos. The sales of SVU are on a high in spite of the higher cost of insuring it and the amount of gas it consumes. Believing that an SUV is safer than other vehicles is a commonly held misconception about them. Sport Utility Vehicles have their own pros and cons SUV’s are heavier and taller than other autos which have an impact on the auto insurance rates. This weight to height ratio in SUV’s end up in being involved in more rollovers. As a matter of fact SUV’s roll over twice as many as fatal accidents occurs than passenger vehicles.
Besides the SUV’s risk it with rollovers there’s a lot more to the risk possessed by the vehicle due to its immense height when compared to smaller cars. It is a well known fact to the smaller drivers that many SUV’s headlights are positioned in a place that directly reflects in the mirrors of smaller cars causing a blinding glare. Besides that there is a certain amount of risk with the height of bumper that places a higher risk of significant damage when collided with a smaller car. A National Highway Traffic and Safety Study in 1990 revealed that over a 5 percent traffic fatalities in the U.S. are majorly due to accidents that occurred with enormous trucks or SUV’s rather than the regular sized cars. The study highlighted the fact that SUV’s and light trucks are two times more likely to cause a fatality in collision.
An additional added factor in the higher risk of SUV’s in collisions has got to do with driver’s attitude in driving. Most of the people want to feel secure behind the wheel of an SUV which not only places them on a high but also limits their ability to see smaller vehicles which thereby results in an accident. Many of the drivers are not aware of the fact that SUV’s can be handled differently. Handling an SUV is very much different from a compact or passenger vehicle and when there is an extra training added to it an SUV owner can feel secure on the road.
Since SUV’s are here to make a mark, and definitely not in a mood to vanish soon, its important that SUV owners and drivers had to understand the risks involved in driving it. One thing that has to be kept in mind is he best way to prevent collision is to driver defensively. Thereby the SUV owners need to be cautious about driving safe distances and at the same time passenger car owners need to understand the limited sight of the SUV driver. A mutual understanding between these two will not end up in fatal accidents.
After going through all these hard facts if you’re still considering purchasing an SUV or if you are an owner of an SUV you will need to keep some facts in mind. Firstly you have to be aware of the fact that auto insurance of an SUV will cost more than any other smaller vehicle. Secondly, you should cross check that you don’t over pay on the auto insurance. Lastly take out time to shop around to find out who’s got the best deal for auto insurance your SVU. Also consider the financial stability and customer service that render best service for the best money you put in. Then comply with that auto insurance rate by driving your SUV safely.