There is concern that large and heavy sports utility vehicles (SUVs) increase the risks for people in cars with which they collide. The factors that influence crash incompatibility include vehicle weight, height off the ground and front end stiffness. Statistics are presented on fatal two-vehicle crashes involving SUVs and other cars. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted research on the extent to which vehicle type contributes to crash incompatibility. Occupant death rates were lower in all but the lightest SUVs that crashed with cars than in four-door cars of similar weight that collided with other cars. Death rates in other cars were much higher in crashes with SUVs than with four-door cars. Car occupant death rates increased with increasing weight of SUVs and four-door cars. Death rates in cars that collide with four-door cars did not vary with direction of impact, but car occupants were at increased risk when the SUVs hit them in the side than in the front. Occupant death rates were lower during 2000-03 than a decade earlier. Vehicle manufacturers have agreed to address the problems with front and side impacts.
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