SUV wins safety test

The British Medical Journal has claimed that ‘tests’ show pedestrians hit by SUVs have a lower survival rate than if hit by a sedan.

Interestingly, the top-rated English (car) motoring program, 5th Gear, recently conducted its own pedestrian-impact tests. Using genuine adult-sized laboratory dummies, the 5th Gear crew simulated a road accident in which a pedestrian is hit while crossing a road. The vehicles used were a late-model Mercedes Benz sedan and a mid-90s Range Rover.

Surprisingly, the Mercedes inflicted the greater injuries, due to the low bumper scooping, and then cart-wheeling, the ‘pedestrian’ into the air. When hit by the Range Rover, the injuries were far less, as the higher front panels reduced the possibility of cart-wheeling. The show’s producers included a statement to the effect that, while the tests resulted in less injuries to an adult (when hit by a Range Rover-style vehicle) it did not mean a there would be similar outcome if a child was involved.

Recent testing in Europe partly confirms 5th Gear's 'on road' results. One conclusion is that the greater amount of 'space' under the bonnet of many SUVs means that the impact of a pedestrian's head is more 'cushioned' and, therefore, it is likely to inflict less injury.