Mischief007 said:
Crash test: The more reason to ban SUVs.
Or maybe ban normal cars, since it was the passengers of the car that were killed.
Seriously though 4x4s or SUVs have a place, they are good for offroading, but they are also good for cary people and cargo. Something like the Jeep or X5 with 5 passengers (or even 7 in the case of other 4x4s like the Pajero) and a full load of luggage, and maybe even a caravan or trailer when people set out on holidays will be a lot safer than a normal car in the same situation. They are just made to do that sort of thing where as a car, even the bigger family sized cars, just aren't made for that. And like they showed, you put all that stuff in a normal and it drops a few inches which can be dangerous in an accident like that and it also affects handling (will bottom out easier and that can throw the car off balance), and braking and other things. A 4x4 will also be a bit lower, but not as much because they are made to carry those sort of loads with the suspension setups they have, and it was higher to begin with.
Don't forget the crash test with a pedestrian where the 4x4 actually caused less injury than a car because of its bigger frontal area.
I think the idea is not to ban 4x4s but to make them safer, along with the rest of the cars. Both the ones usd in that test were old so I imagine it has come a long way already. 1 big point is that most 4x4s aren't using big chassis rails like that anymore, they are built more like other cars. Also people have to consider not using 4x4s so much around the city, but then not everyone can afford 2 or more cars.
Aston
