Researchers in America have revealed that 4x4s are the safest cars on the road – and Land Rovers are the safest of the lot.
Land Rover was the only manufacturer with two models – the Range Rover Sport and the Discovery (LR3) – in the top 10 safest vehicles on America’s roads, according to the latest statistics from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Its report revealed that people in ordinary 2009-model saloon cars were twice as likely to die in a rollover accident than people in a typical 2009-model SUV. It also stated that “sheer size is still a big factor in auto safety.” The research has caused a big stir in the US, where, a decade ago, a spate of fatalities in rollover accidents involving some SUVs were responsible for giving 4x4s a poor reputation. The researchers believe that electronic stability control (ESC) on modern vehicles is responsible for the vastly improved safety record.
“The rollover risk in SUVs used to outweigh their size/weight advantage, but that’s no longer the case, thanks to ESC,” said Anne McCartt, the Institute’s senior vice-president for research. Of the models in the top 10 safest cars, only one – the Toyota Sienna minivan – was not a four-wheel drive model. The 10 vehicles with highest rate of driver deaths were small to medium models, including four models each from Nissan and Chevrolet.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is an independent, non-profit organisation, funded by auto insurers, that strives to reduce deaths, injuries and property damage due to crashes. It takes human factors, vehicle factors and environmental factors into account as they study ways to make America’s roads safer.
By Dave Phillips
