SUVs / Light Trucks - a safety issue

"The tests underscored how the proliferation of light trucks is complicating auto safety. While many drivers assume such vehicles are safer, sport utility vehicles actually have slightly higher death rates for their own occupants than cars do because their high ground clearance makes them less stable and more likely to roll over. And when an S.U.V. strikes a car in the side, it is three times more likely than a car to cause a death, federal data says. The rate is even higher when pickups hit cars." -- NYT (3/27/03) see more