SUV Myths and Facts: Get the Facts About SUVs

Contrary to the claims of anti-SUV groups, SUVs have a very strong record when it comes to safety, emissions and fuel economy. The following are myths and facts about SUVs.

Safety

Myth: SUVs are less safe for their occupants than passenger cars mainly because of their higher rollover rate.

Facts:

  • SUVs do have a higher center of gravity than passenger cars and therefore can roll over more easily. However, rollover crashes are relatively rare when compared to all other types of crashes – less than 3% of crashes.[1]
  • Recent model 4WD SUVs are nearly twice as protective of their drivers as cars in frontal, rear and side-impact multiple-vehicle crashes. [2]
  • More people die in car rollovers than SUV rollovers. Historically, less than 25% of rollover deaths are in SUVs.[3]
  • Can all vehicle occupants improve their odds even further? Absolutely, by wearing safety belts. Almost three-quarters of people killed in fatal rollover crashes, in various vehicle models, do not wear their safety belts. Similarly, the government estimates that 75% of those non-belt users would be alive today had they simply buckled up.
  • Every 1% increase in safety belt use would save 270 lives a year in the U.S.[4]

Myth: SUV's, because of their greater size and weight, cause more harm to occupants of other vehicles.

Fact:

  • The laws of physics clearly show that larger, heavier vehicles provide better crash protection to their occupants. At the same time, bigger vehicles do more damage when they collide with smaller vehicles. However, only about 5% of occupant deaths in small cars occur in crashes with SUVs, while 61% of small car fatalities occur in single-vehicle crashes[5] (against trees, poles, bridge abutments, etc.) or crashes with other cars. There is no SUV “safety crisis.”
  • According to the experts: "If safety is your top priority, you shouldn't be in a small car," said Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an industry group that rates vehicles' crash-worthiness. "In a crash with a heavier vehicle you are always at a disadvantage, regardless of how well the vehicle does in a crash test."[13]

Fuel Economy

Myth: SUVs are gas-guzzlers and are contributing to our reliance on oil from the Mid-East.

Facts:

  • Since the mid-1970s, the fuel economy of SUVs and light trucks has improved by nearly 60%.[6]
  • In fact, today’s SUVs are 50% more efficient than cars were a generation ago.
  • When the term “gas-guzzler” was coined, it referred to cars that got about 10 miles per gallon or less. By comparison, today’s SUVs are relatively fuel efficient for the jobs they perform.
  • We will continue to import oil from the Middle East as long as it continues to be cheaper than other sources.

Greater Cargo Space

Myth: Most people don’t really need big SUVs.

Facts:

  • Americans buy vehicles that meet their maximum needs. Most can’t afford to buy purpose-specific vehicles.
  • SUV owners who may commute alone during the workweek may be hauling a soccer team, boat, home improvement materials or supplies for a local charity during the weekend.[7]
  • About half of the respondents in a scientific R.L. Polk poll use their SUV regularly to haul bulky items[8] that just won’t fit into cars.
  • Today, less than 6% of passenger cars can tow more than 2,100 pounds, so Americans rely on SUVs and other light trucks to tow almost 24 million boats, ATVs, horse trailers, RVs, snowmobiles and off-road motorcycles.[9]

Emissions

Myth: SUVs pollute more than cars.

Facts:

  • Many SUVs today already meet the same stringent federal tailpipe emissions standards as cars. Beginning in the 2004 model year, those same strict standards are being phased in over the next few years to apply to the remainder of the largest SUVs (up to 8,500 pounds). So regulations have already dealt with this.[10]
  • The emissions from a new midsize SUV are cleaner than those of the average passenger car built just three years ago.[11]
  • A 2004 Ford Explorer driven from Washington, DC to Los Angeles and back pollutes less than a 1968 Ford Fairlane driven one way from Washington, DC to Baltimore.[12]

Myth: SUVs emit more global warming pollution than passenger cars.

Facts:

  • Contrary to claims of environmental lobbyists, CO2 is not a pollutant, according to the EPA. It is a naturally-occuring compound that is essential to life on earth. Plants breathe CO2 and "exhale" oxygen for humans and other living creatures to breathe. CO2 is not a clean air (smog) issue.
  • While it is true that the amount of CO2 a vehicle emits is directly related to the amount of fuel used, it must be appreciated that ALL the cars and light trucks in the U.S. make up only about 2% of all man-made greenhouse gases worldwide.
  • Thus, even if every SUV driver switched to an economy car, the difference in emissions would be imperceptible.

Resources

1 National Highway Traffic Safety Association, Traffic Safety Facts 2002.
2 Auto Alliance, The Facts On SUV Safety 2004.
3National Highway Traffic Safety Association, Annual Assessment 2002.; Traffic Safety Facts 2000.
4Department of Transportation, Safety Belt Use Survey Announcement 2004.
5Insurance Institute For Highway Safety, Status Report 1999.
6General Motors, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report 2001-2002.
7Auto Alliance, Polk Sport Utility Vehicle Usage Study 2002.
8Auto Alliance, Polk Sport Utility Vehicle Usage Study 2002.
9Auto Alliance, The Facts On Consumer and Fuel Economy. What Do Consumers Want?
10Greener Cars, Best of 2004 List
11US Environmental Protection Agency,Car Standards For Hydrocarbon and Nitrogen Oxide Emissions 1967-2008; Light Truck Standards For Hydrocarbon and Nitrogen Oxide Emissions 1967-2008.
12US Environmental Protection Agency, Car Standards For Hydrocarbon and Nitrogen Oxide Emissions, 1967-2008 - Used for Tailpipe Emissions (Cars); Light Truck Standards For Hydrocarbon and Nitrogen Oxide Emissions, 1967-2008 - Used for Tailpipe Emissions (Light Trucks) Mapquest.com - Used for Mileage Calculations
13Los Angeles Times February 9, 2005