This sense of safety is strictly reserved for the vehicle’s occupants. While passengers inside are generally well-protected, the impact force transferred to smaller cars in a collision is significantly more severe.
The likelihood of a pedestrian or cyclist being fatally injured is 44% higher if they are struck by an SUV or light truck compared to a standard car.
The tall, flat bonnets common on SUVs strike pedestrians higher up on the body. Instead of being thrown onto the bonnet or rolling over the vehicle, a person is much more likely to be knocked down and dragged underneath, drastically increasing the severity of their injuries.
SUVs also pose a unique danger to their own drivers.
Due to their high center of gravity, SUVs are inherently more prone to rollovers during sudden evasive maneuvers than lower-profile sedans.
This physical vulnerability is dangerously masked by modern technology. Advanced accident-avoidance tech—like Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and electronic stability control—creates a volatile mix of Risk Compensation and the “Command Seating” Illusion.
Because SUV drivers sit high up and feel insulated from the road, they lose a natural sense of speed. This prompts them to drive faster and take risks they wouldn’t otherwise take.
A driver in a smaller, “dumb” car receives direct physical feedback from the road, making them less likely to take those risks in the first place.
When an SUV driver pushes past the limits of their tech, the resulting accidents are far more severe. Ultimately, the victims are everyone else on the road—unless, of course, the vehicle hitting you is an even larger SUV. It is a perverted automotive arms race where, in the end, everyone loses.