Dead SUV: I about laughed my ass off.

[Tyler Durden]

Saw this happen. Guy in an BRAND NEW IZUZU RODEO is following an ANCIENT minivan, Just a little too closely. Traffic is bad on a 4 lane surface street: stop/go.

Minivan STOPS. FAST. Rodeo rear ends him. AND DIES. I swear the only visible damage was to the cheapo plastic bumper and a VERY slight hood dent, but CLOUDS of antifreeze and funny noises, SUV is TOAST. Minivan was able to drive off: I couldn't even see a dent. I just about pissed my pants laughing, as did my 15 year old son.

I thought the reason people bought these shitty things was because they were supposed to be STURDY?

[qb]

1. This is great. I wish I had a link to the study that shows that

statistically, SUVs are NOT safer than smaller cars.

[rjbcar27]

2. Todays cars are designed to disintegrate.

So as to expend energy. This has the effect of making them particularly vulnerable to impacts to the front end.

If you ever see an F1 or Indy car hit the wall it looks like the car explodes, but it is designed to do just that.

OTOH, buy an Izuzu and you deserve it.

[Tyler Durden]

3. Oh, I realize....

...I just found a <10mph collision between an SUV and a 10 year old minivan where the SUV not only LOSES but the minivan DRIVES OFF without a SCRATCH was just too rich.

[quispquake]

4. Sometimes it depends on how they're hit...

I had a '76 Volvo (300K miles...loved that tank!!!). I hit some black ice, and slammed into the back of a Ford Escort station wagon...Volvos are supposed to be THE BEST cars for a crash...

Well, the Volvo TOTALLED, and the Ford Escort had a little black mark on the bumper, that was IT! My front end was all over the road...cop couldn't believe it (noone was hurt btw...)

I must have hit the car just right so all damage was on me...

Funny story in retrospect...

[Tyler Durden]

5. 10 MPH, straight rear end.

Maybe even slower, it was stop/go on a 4 lane surface street. So little visible damage, such a DEAD SUV.

Kind of like GOD knew I needed a laugh.

[northzax]

9. you know why Volvos have such a good reputation in crashes?

as mentioned above, they are built to absorb energy and shed it in pieces to protect the passenger cage. If your rear end someone in a volvo (or a mercedes) at speeds above about 20 mph, the engine will literally fall out, thus serving as a big block of steel between you and whatever it was you hit. Body panels collapse, so you don't.

This is what GM never figured out. They built cars so that the car would survive a crash. Volvo and Mercedes built cars so that the driver would survive a crash.

[quispquake]

11. Like I said, I wasn't hurt at all...

so it looked like the Volvo did what it was supposed to!!!

[mhr]

6. Well Tyler, I Drive a Rodeo, Been Very, Very Very Reliable, Tows Great

As SUVs go it is one of the better ones, 21 mpg road, 19 city.

Compare that to the real tanks, Hummers and Expeditions that dwarf my vehicle.

And no I will not be getting rid of it. It is paid for Thank You!

[wtmusic]

10. Why did you buy an SUV?

Just curious.

[wtmusic]

12. Thought so.

:-)

[NJCher]

7. I love your story

Oh for a digital pic. Oh oh oh. How I would have loved to have seen it myself!


Cher

[NJCher]

8. for statistics on SUVs and safety

See book written by the NY Times auto writer, Keith Bradscher. Riding High and Mighty is the name of the book and the Washington Monthly magazine printed an article about it. A little Googling should turn that right up. It was posted here sometime last February, March.


Cher