 The researches looked at studies into road accidents |
Trinity College Dublin experts say increasing numbers of people are driving these type of cars.
But, writing in the British Medical Journal, they say the risk to pedestrians comes from the car's design rather than the numbers on the roads.
They say warning notices should be put on 4x4s to raise awareness of risks.
SUVs are no more unsafe than any other type of car 
Sales of this type of car, also called sports utility vehicles (SUVs) have increased by 15% across Europe in the past year, while sales of standard cars have dropped by 4%.
The researchers add that in the US, 40% of new vehicles bought by drivers are classed as light trucks or vans - many of which are SUVs.
A recent study in America found that, for the same collision speed, the likelihood of a pedestrian fatality is nearly doubled in the event of a collision with a large SUV compared with a passenger car.
Other studies report higher rates (up to four times) of severe injury and death.
Risk reduction
Ciaran Simms, a lecturer in mechanical engineering and Desmond O'Neill, associate professor of medical care for the elderly, said that the increased risk from SUVs is caused by the design of the front end of the vehicles.
Pedestrian injuries from ordinary cars are mainly leg fractures and knee injuries from the initial impact with the bumper, and head injuries from the secondary impact with the bonnet or windscreen.
But researchers say that, because SUV bonnets are higher than those of cars, there is a more severe initial impact on the upper leg and pelvis, and a doubling of injuries to vulnerable regions such as the head, thorax, and abdomen.
The researchers add that elderly pedestrians are already known to be at high risk.
People over 60 are more than four times as likely to die if injured by a car than younger people.
Challenge
The report authors call for a number of measures to reduce the risks associated with SUVs, including changing crash investigations so the type of cars involved in accidents with pedestrians is identified.
They also call for warning notices on SUVs to help inform consumers of the increased risks of severe injuries and death associated with the vehicles.
They add: "Addressing the hazards posed by SUVs to pedestrians is an emerging and real traffic safety challenge in the developed world."
But a spokesman for the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said: "We recognise that all vehicles can be dangerous when in an accident with a pedestrian."
He said the BMJ researchers had focussed on US research, rather than UK or European work - and US vehicles were bigger.
"SUVs are no more unsafe than any other type of car."
However, the Irish researchers said they had looked at European research, and their findings were valid for cars used in Europe, as well as the US.
4 comments:
Firstly, it's not cut and paste - if you cut it, the BBC would be wondering where their website pages keep disappearing to when someone plagurises, it's copy and paste.
Secondly, doing that is very lazy, but here is a recent article from The Age, reproduced in full, which is pretty much what they did anyway because it's from the New York Times:
Petrol-guzzlers lose ground to smaller cars
THE heyday of the giant four-wheel-drive vehicle is fading as petrol prices loom larger.
In September, US sales of large four-wheel-drives were down 43 per cent from a year earlier — particularly bad news for General Motors and Ford, which are dependent on the truck-based vehicles.
Last month, GM's overall sales in America fell 24.2 per cent and Ford's declined by 20.3 per cent, compared with September last year.
But in Japan, car makers reported increases last month, mainly in passenger cars and smaller four-wheel-drive vehicles. Toyota's sales rose 10.3 per cent, Honda's 11.7 per cent and Nissan's 16.4 per cent.
Overall car sales fell 7.9 per cent in the US last month, to a seasonally adjusted sales rate equivalent to 16.3 million vehicles if maintained for a year.
Contributing to the slump is the phasing out of employee discount offers by domestic car makers, used to clear out 2005 models.
So a big Nelson haw-haw laugh at Ford/GM/The yank-tankin' USA there.
Remember, SUV's don't kill people, the more severe initial impact on the upper leg and pelvis, and a doubling of injuries to vulnerable regions such as the head, thorax, and abdomen does.
LOL ! Nelson haw haw indeed.
I struggle not to hate people that have 4WD without a good reason. And people do in Oz. Country, farm type people for example. Some trades.
But dickheads in towns who buy them for the safety (of them) on the off chance of an accident (more likely) and for shopping (fat liberal party anti gay/aboriginies) deserve to be admonished for their crappness.
Or at the very least have the $(*%*&%% owners pay the same sales tax as sedans.
Here's an incentive for the govt. Drop sales tax on hypbrid vehicles. They cost 7k more than other cars of similiar capability. So 7k shaved off a 30k sticker price would go some way to restoring them as an attractive option.
And it lowers the amount of fuel we need to gobble into our huge white mouths before the Chinese and Indians get it all (according to some commentators in the US at any rate who are scared that if 2.5 billion people have a desire to live a western life style that the planet will just go blurgh. Funny that...)
You'd think the government might like to pretend it has some green credentials by dropping the tax on hybrid vehicles, but I wouldn't hold my breath unless there's an election campaign.
The thing that still ticks me off the most about 4x4s is that you can't see through them anywhere near as well as you can a sedan. Means I'm less able to drive defensively and I have to rely on the twat in the 4x4 to be reacting properly to the traffic ahead.
As far as the govt and green policy - I think you'll be holding your breath for a very, very long time. Even if they di make that sort of promise and (shudder) won the next election I reckon it would end up being a "non core" promise and get dropped like something that gets dropped really quickly after it is no longer useful.
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