SOMEONE struck by a large sports utility vehicle is more than twice as likely to die as someone hit by a saloon car travelling at the same speed. The finding by American researchers will add further weight to calls for SUVs – sporty vehicles with a high, blunt-fronted body atop a broad chassis – to be made safer.
In March, Jeffrey Runge, the head of the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), called on the automobile industry to make SUVs safer (New Scientist, 8 March, p 12). Their high centre of gravity makes them more likely to roll over. According…
