safety and SUVs

["MONTANO, MONICA [NCP/1555]" <monica.montano@domain.elided>]

OK.  I have rarely posted anything to the digest, but I just couldn't stay
out of this one.  I have been hearing things such as sturdy=safe.  While
minivans are now beginning to conform to the safety standards of cars, it is
pretty rare to find an SUV (and probably impossible to find a pick-up) with
safety features that meet the standards that all passenger cars MUST meet.
(unless you're driving a Mercedes ML 320 or a Subaru Forrester)  This is
because they are not passenger cars, they are classified as "light trucks".
Way back when, the only people who bought trucks were people who needed them
(such as farmers).  In order to keep the price in the range that farmers
could afford, they were not required to have all the safety features that
passenger cars did, thus making them cheap to build.  Today they are cheap
to build, but sold at a premium price and marketed to families.  Personally,
I would be afraid to have one.  They do not have reinforced roll cages,
(which is especially scary given the facility with which they are rolled),
and do not even have safety glass.  I keep thinking of all the moms out
there with car seats in the back of their SUVs.  A minor side impact could
make their children the victims of shattered glass (I don't even want to
think about a roll-over).  I find it disgusting for manufacturers to sell
these vehicles at premium prices and still show no concern for the safety of
the passengers.  It's just plain irresponsible. I'm not against SUVs.  I
just think it's a good idea to know what you're buying and not have a false
sense of safety about it.

My $0.02

Monica

'91 164L  

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