Children riding in SUVs were no safer in crashes than those riding in passenger cars. |
How we square that is the potential safety advantage of the added size and weight appears to be offset by the rollover risk. |
In 1999 ... booster seats were used by only 5 percent of 4- to 8-year-olds. By the middle of last year, that figure stood at just over 30 percent. That is great news. But there remains much room for improvement. |
It's not that SUVs are bad. It's just that the evidence is not so clear that they are obviously superior. |
Our sense was that most people have been assuming they were safer - and, frankly, we were, too. |
SUVs are becoming more popular as family vehicles because they can accommodate multiple child safety seats and their larger size may lead parents to believe SUVs are safer than passenger cars. |
There's no net advantage for kids in SUVs than kids in passenger cars. I suspect that will run counter to most peoples' assumptions. |
To the extent that SUV makers can solve the rollover problem, we may see them becoming the safe haven for children that they have the potential to be. |
We assumed, as I think most consumers do, that because of the larger size and heavier weight of the SUVs, that they would naturally be safer. |
We're not saying they're worse or that they're terrible vehicles. We're challenging the conventional wisdom that everyone assumed they were better. |