Is bigger better? : vehicle size and driver perceptions of safety.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether sports utility vehicle (SUV) drivers perceive they are safer than car drivers when travelling in their vehicle. A further aim is to examine whether a concern for safety motivates the vehicle size selection process. To test safety motivations, attitudes towards vehicle size and safety, vehicle characteristic preferences, naive knowledge of collisions, and self-reported driver risk taking behaviours, such as overtaking behaviour, are examined. It is expected that if safety concerns motivate vehicle size selection decisions then SUV drivers will believe that there is a strong positive relationship between vehicle size and passenger safety. Alternative explanations for the popularity of SUVs that are not motivated by concern for passenger safety are also examined. These include use of the vehicle, vehicle performance, lower environmental concerns, and the prestige and status that may be associated with larger, more expensive vehicles. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E214666.