Weighty issues
There was a discussion in Rennteam recently of the Cayenne's weight and it's relationship to occupant safety. In the US at least there is the general public perception that a larger, heavier vehicle is safer.
The NHTSA completed a study yesterday that tends to confirm this traditional wisdom:
This quote came from The CarConnection where there is more information on the study.
The NHTSA completed a study yesterday that tends to confirm this traditional wisdom:
Quote:
NHTSA Study Finds More Weight Can Equal Safer Vehicles
Federal regulators Tuesday said a new study shows reducing the weight of vehicles, done mostly to improve fuel economy, has resulted in more traffic deaths, especially among small-car owners. The study shows that until tougher standards are set for automakers to design trucks and SUVs to inflict less damage on other vehicles in crashes by way of vehicle height standards and bumper designs, occupants of heavier SUVs and trucks that get poor fuel economy will be safer than occupants of lighter vehicles.
This quote came from The CarConnection where there is more information on the study.
If you plan to run into another vehicle, weight could be to your advantage, everything else being equal. If you plan to crash into a fixed solid object or rollover without hitting anything then weight might be your enemy.
