Experts say sport utility vehicles more likely to flip

The federal government says the chances of being involved in a rollover accident are two to three times greater in a sport utility vehicle

December 12, 1997
Web posted at: 5:15 p.m. EST (2215 GMT)

DETROIT (CNN) -- Weaker brakes, lack of maneuverability and a propensity to roll over in a collision make sport utility vehicles, minivans and pickups -- so-called light trucks -- a serious safety threat to their occupants and others, experts said in a two-day conference that ended outside Detroit on Friday.

Last month, for the first time in history, more sport utility vehicles were sold in the United States than passenger cars. Many consumers buy sport utility vehicles, known in the industry as SUVs, at least in part because the vehicles seem a safer bet in collisions than midsized cars.

But the federal government reported that the chances of being involved in a rollover accident are two to three times greater in a SUV than in a car. SUVs roll over more often because they have a higher center of gravity, making them more prone to tipping.

The vehicles roll over so often, one researcher said, that SUV occupants are just as likely to die in an accident as car occupants. Most of the rollovers are caused by collisions with other vehicles, curbs and other objects, and not by making sharp turns, federal officials said.

Sport utility vehicles are more prone to tipping, because of their higher center of gravity

According to a report in Friday's New York Times, a brake engineer said at the conference that light truck brakes are generally not as effective as car brakes, because federal safety standards for trucks are more lenient than those for cars. Light trucks account for one of every two family vehicles sold today.

Large sport utility vehicles and pickups account for an unusually large share of pedestrian deaths, the paper reported, apparently because of their weaker brakes and lack of maneuverability.

Automakers already place a label in each SUV warning drivers that the vehicles do not handle or maneuver like a car.

However, with the risks in mind, 35 insurance companies have already raised their premiums on sport utility vehicles. Several other insurers are considering similar action.

The Society of Automotive Engineers, a nonprofit group that plays a large role in setting industrywide technical standards, organized the conference, which the Times said was the industry's first gathering ever to review the overall safety issues presented by light trucks.

Meanwhile, the federal government also is scrutinizing the safety of light trucks; a federal report is expected out in February.

Detroit Bureau Chief Ed Garsten contributed to this report.

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