Accident Safety & Reconstruction: September 2008 Archives

In Shopping For A Car Or Truck? - Think Safety, author and ForensisGroup expert witness Michael Leshner, P.E., writes on SUVs:

Stay Away From Short Suv's
Sport-Utility vehicles are particularly popular these days, and are generally safer than small cars. The SUV's with the worst safety record are those with a wheel-base less than 105 inches. These vehicles tend to have inferior handling characteristics, and are more likely to overturn in an accident. Most SUVs have a high center of gravity, and can overturn in emergency handling maneuvers, especially when fully loaded with passengers and cargo. Rollover accidents are particularly dangerous, and account for a disproportionate share of fatalities. In general, larger and heavier vehicles offer greater protection to occupants in a collision, and higher quality vehicles tend to have better seats, seatbelts and head-rests. All new cars and light trucks now come equipped with air bags, but your primary protection in the event of a collision is your seat belt.

In Shopping For A Car Or Truck? - Think Safety, author and ForensisGroup expert witness Michael Leshner, P.E., writes on air bags:

Do Not Depend On Air Bags To Prevent Injury
You may be surprised to know that although air bags help to prevent some fatalities and serious injuries in frontal collisions, seat belts offer far greater protection and are effective in many more types of accidents. Please use them and teach your children to buckle up whenever they get into a vehicle. In studying the effectiveness of seat belts and air bags, the U.S. Department of Transportation has concluded that using a manual lap and shoulder belt is the most effective measure you can use to avoid serious injury in a collision. Your air bags do not reduce the risk of serious injury if you are wearing your seat belts, but air bags reduce the risk of fatalities, even for belted occupants.

In Shopping For A Car Or Truck? - Think Safety, author and ForensisGroup expert witness Michael Leshner, P.E., cautions that buying a larger car may save your life.

Large Vs. Small
Whether purchasing a new or used vehicle, safety should be considered along with utility, comfort, price and style. After the use or non-use of seat belts, the single most important factor in determining your chance of getting killed or seriously injured in an accident is your vehicle's weight. In fact, an extra 300 pounds of vehicle weight improves your chances of survival as much as an air bag. Try to avoid smaller vehicles, especially those weighing less than 3,000 pounds. This choice will cost more at the gas pump and might offend your sense of environmental responsibility, but it could save your life. There are some exceptions, and you can get detailed information on crash performance from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety - www.iihs.org.