Big Car Safe. Small Car Dangerous. Me Pick Big Car.

Lisa: But mom, I read that sport-utility vehicles are more
likely to be in fatal accidents.
Bart: Fatal to the people in the other car. Let's roll.
The Simpsons. "Marge Simpson in Screaming Yellow Honkers"

Well, the Competitive Enterprise Institute has recently printed an article arguring that if SUV's are forced to more closely adhere to the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards, people will die. Yes, people, just like you and me will die. The article argues; "Advocates of higher CAFE standards for sport utility vehicles argue that this would reduce the hazard that SUVs pose in collisions with cars. The evidence for this is far from clear, because assessing the overall safety effects of reducing one vehicle's mass in a multi-car collision is complex."

Oh wait a second, I read the wrong part of the article, here's the part I want, "But in single-vehicle accidents, small SUVs are much less safe than large ones. A higher CAFE standard for SUVs would encourage sales of small SUVs." See Big SUV's are safer. They even quote a 2001 National Academy of Science report to suppor this allegation.

So, to boil it down, Science cannot comment on the effect of a giant SUV crashing into a smaller car (say, a Toyota Camry), because "multi car collision[s] are complex." But Science says that if you own your own SUV and drive it into a tree you will be safer in a bigger SUV.

Looked at a certain way, it almost sounds like the people at the Competitive Enterprise Instutite believe that people who can afford SUV have more valuable lives than those of us in smaller cars.

Happy New Year.