With growing sport utility vehicle (SUV) sales, there is also a growing concern about crash compatibility. Because there is a great difference in weight and geometry, concerns arise regarding what happens when a car collides with a pick-up or an SUV. Many buy SUVs with the belief that they provide more protection, which can be deemed as "self protection". It seems as though SUVs offer more protection at the expense of crash partners, but reducing the risk by a vehicle type for a crash partner is also possible, and this is deemed as "partner protection". This article reviews the death risk car passengers face in collisions with different types of vehicles and offers a graph of these risks. It also offers an overall graph of death in regard to all vehicle types and how these numbers have changed over a decade. The article also reviews crash incompatibility, crash partner risks and how self and partner protection can be balanced. One issue is that SUVs cause more deaths for crash partners than any other vehicle, and are causing more deaths than saving lives of those they transport. Although SUVs offer more safety, they are also prone to roll-overs and this puts them at the highest risk for single-vehicle fatal crashes. While SUV manufacturers are in the process of designing vehicles with better crash compatibility, it is important for car drivers to protect themselves by adding side airbags to protect the head and thorax.
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