Ah yes, the old “I’m a great driver and can avoid accidents” phase of the argument...
In a multi car incident being in the heavier vehicle means you’re exposed to less forces than the person in the other vehicle. Being higher up also means the smaller vehicle may well hit the much stronger chassis of your vehicle than doors and bonnet (for example) meaning less damage to the cockpit of your vehicle.
Take a more extreme example. Would you rather be in the pickup sat on top of the low slung sports car, or on the sports car that has found itself with the back axle of the pickup through its front windscreen? Which occupants are most likely to be injured in this scenario (I’ve seen this twice in two years as an FYI, so it’s not a particularly unusual scenario).
And does your estate have better brakes, acceleration and stability than the one in the OP? Probably not. All of them are very dependent on the specific vehicle being compared.
Either way statistically you ARE safer in an SUV/larger vehicle, and it’s just one of several reasons more people now prefer them over saloons. Saloons and estates are great mile munchers for those travelling back and forwards on long journeys (aka the rep in his repmobile), but for most they just aren’t as practical. People are voting with their feet, which is why saloon and estate sales have plummeted in the last decade.
So you'd rather be in a pickup:
Hitting a low slung sports car in a jacked up SUV could see the low car wedging under the SUV and tipping it over, especially if you collide at an angle. They won't squash the car because they are designed to be compatible with the crumble zones on normal sized cars.
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