| Sales of Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) have | | | | because few understand how dangerous they are. |
| sky-rocketed in the United States, accounting for | | | | Automakers do not go out of their way to |
| over 25 percent of all new-vehicle sales in 2004 | | | | improve their products or alert consumers to |
| and representing almost 14 percent of all | | | | their dangers, and this combined with a false |
| registered vehicles in the nation, with more than | | | | sense of security that larger vehicles are safer |
| 22 million on the road. Many buyers ironically cite | | | | make them deadly killing machines.Pedestrians |
| safety issues for their decision, claiming that they | | | | share the roadways with motorists and have the |
| feel more protected because they are larger, | | | | right of way, but no person can stand up to a car |
| heavier and higher than cars. Unfortunately, when | | | | that is barreling down on them. Physics will prevail, |
| it comes to rollover accidents - the leading cause | | | | and pedestrian knockdowns are becoming more |
| of death on America's highways - SUVs are | | | | and more common now that the roads are more |
| among the riskiest vehicles driven today. New | | | | and more clogged. Many pedestrians knocked |
| fatality statistics show that over 12,000 people | | | | down by cars suffer extensive injuries such to |
| died last year in rollovers, with SUVs averaging | | | | their head, spine, bones, internal organs, and |
| the highest rate at nearly 62 percent.Americans | | | | general health.Being paralyzed is one of the worst |
| penchant for large SUVs make the roads even | | | | possible outcomes that can come out of a car |
| more dangerous than they should be. These large | | | | accident. Paralysis occurs when the vital nerves |
| vehicles with a narrow and unstable wheel base | | | | that control various body parts are damaged or |
| combined with a high center of gravity and poor | | | | severed. This usually happens when there is a |
| safety design kill thousands of people each year | | | | traumatic impact to the neck or spinal cord. |