When choosing a car for you and your family, safety is going to be one of your top priorities. Choosing between an SUV and a sedan can be tricky. While an SUV may not suffer as much damage in a collision due to the large frames of these vehicles that protect passengers, SUVs are also more likely to be involved in a serious accident as rollover risks are high.
Several factors need to be considered when identifying the safety of an SUV compared to a sedan to minimize your crash risk. When buying a car, evaluate the various safety features, crash risks, and fatality rates to make an informed decision. Read more about our study into the safety of these vehicles.
Choosing the Right Vehicle for Avoiding Fatal Crashes
Motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of death in the United States, accounting for 42,514 deaths in 2022, ranking at number three in Illinois behind heart disease and cancer with 1,268 fatalities. Most of these deaths ultimately could have been prevented. Choosing the right vehicle can significantly reduce your risk.
After reviewing data gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), we found that in 2022, the vehicles most commonly involved in fatal accidents in the United States were light trucks, which include:
- SUVS
- Minivans
- Pickup trucks
Meanwhile, the next largest group for fatal accidents were passenger vehicles, including:
- Sedans
- Hatchbacks
- Convertibles
As you can see from the graph, both light trucks and passenger vehicles far outpaced other types of vehicles in fatal accidents, with motorcycles a distant third, followed closely by large trucks, then other specialty vehicles ahead of a small number of fatal bus accidents.
However, when breaking this data down further, it’s important to note that sedans made up the vast majority of fatal passenger vehicle accidents, accounting for 15,757 of the 20,049 fatal crashes, while SUVs made up for a much smaller percentage of light truck accidents with only 14,117 of the 25,807 fatal accidents attributed to these vehicles.
The national numbers were mostly reflected in the fatal crash numbers for Illinois, with 1,853 vehicles involved in fatal accidents, broken down into:
- 740 light trucks (39.9%)
- 648 passenger vehicles (35%)
- 217 large trucks (11.7%)
- 135 motorcycles (8.4%)
- 83 specialty/other (4.5%)
- 10 buses (0.5%)
Safety Pros and Cons of SUVs and Sedans
Drivers and passengers in sedans are at a much higher risk of death or serious injury in the event of a crash as these vehicles have smaller frames to absorb the impact and protect occupants.
In contrast, while SUVs offer more protection in the event of a crash, the likelihood of an accident in these vehicles is much more significant as their height and weight make them much more susceptible to rollover accidents.
In a collision between an SUV and a sedan, the occupants of the SUV are far more likely to walk away without major injuries as discrepancies in size and weight favor the SUV. A collision between two vehicles with a 1,000-pound difference in weight raises the risk of fatality for occupants of the smaller vehicle by 47% compared to a crash between vehicles of equal weight.
Vehicle Color Is Also Important
The color of your vehicle can also affect its likelihood of being involved in an accident. Darker-colored vehicles (black, grey, silver, blue, green, and red) are less likely to be seen on the roads and have a 7-15% higher chance of being involved in an accident than lighter-colored vehicles (white, yellow, orange, gold).
Get Help from a Car Accident Lawyer After a Crash
It is important to take appropriate safety measures for your vehicle to reduce your risk of a crash. Sedan drivers should maintain a safe distance from larger vehicles and invest in safety features such as automatic emergency brakes. Meanwhile, SUV lawyers should use caution around turns to avoid rollovers and brake earlier to account for longer stopping time.
If you suffer damages in a crash, an experienced Wheaton car accident lawyer can help.