Thread: Why Tiger Woods accident should raise questions about SUV rollovers on highways

Most crashes related to rollover and going off the shoulder usually have one type of car..an SUV...more specifically..crossovers. Now we are seeing Tiger Woods SUV had similar fate.
When you brake these vehicles at high speed they lunge forward and entire weight is shifted causing vehicle to tilt and fail to control its momentum.


yet i see most people with performance SUVs racing them and swerving in and out of lanes like they are super low to the ground race cars.

all the technology in the world cannot compensate for poor driving geometry at high speeds.

the only exception is Tesla Model X which has such a low centre of gravity that it comically stands back right up..like in GTA 5 when you flip a car.



Do you guys think SUVs will ever be as safe as a sports sedan when regards to rollover safety? if not then why is everyone buying these dangerous vehicles with poor stopping power? Does car media need to raise awareness?

Is it because of the Unibody over Body on Frame?

how much more prone to rollovers are SUV over say a Sedan as mentioned in your post. How often do these rollovers occur to begin with? I think seeing actual hard numbers and testing would be helpful here before raising the alarm.

There is always some sort of compromise to safety, otherwise we'd all be driving armored vehicles using the highest quality materials and design. obviously this would be super expensive and not really feasible in reality. it's also what consumers demand as well. perhaps certain safety features and designs may sacrifice aesthetics of a vehicle in that consumers may not want to buy it, or perhaps sacrifice somewhere else like amount of space, gas mileage, speed, durability etc. Also you could potentially substitute safety from one type of accident (i.e: a rollover), for an increased chance in another type of accident.

not saying they couldn't make it safer but there's trade offs to alot of this stuff. and in an ideal world safety improvements can be made at very minimal cost, tradeoff, in which people would still purchase. User error can also be a part of it and be failed to mention, so is it really the fault of a manufacturer if a vehicle is not used as it is intended to be used safely?

People are buying suvs because of marketing and preconceived notions.

If you cucks actually took a course on gender studies, you would know that women are dominating all types of markets. So these manufacturers cater to this market.

Women believe they need more spacing just in case they have a baby coming and they believe bigger is safer.

In terms of safety, bigger is safer when you hit someone smaller or when someone smaller hits you. But that in turn makes everyone else less safe.

A smaller car is more nimble. Its easier to swerve and dodge. And the best outcome is to get away unscratched.

Originally Posted by guest89

I've been a first responder for a long time and by far and large the most dangerous vehicles are smaller cars. SUV's are extremely safe. They just have a higher risk of roll-overs during certain circumstances. If I ever had a wife/kids they'll be rolling around in a midsize - fullsize SUV.

I know people think cars are more economical, handle better, are easier to brake quickly, etc. But I've seen a lot of people get injured or killed in car crashes when they were in a car and the other vehicle is a SUV or a truck and they basically drive from the scene with no injuries at all.

I also know the argument that cars are much better in cities where the streets are narrower, parking is an issue, etc. but my caution to that is even a low speed impact, even with other small cars, can be extremely hazardous. I've seen people driving smart cars and Honda Fits leave in an ambulance with broken bones at a 25MPH crash.

Yes, at a high rate of speed, with sudden breaking & swerving an SUV is far more likely to roll. However you're far more likely to survive/not get injured in collisions in an SUV in literally every other circumstance.

what about trucks

You guys should take into account that Tiger wasn't driving your typical soccer mom SUV. The Genesis GV80 is a 375 hp twin turbo V6 engine vehicle.

I think this accident had more to do with speed than the geometry of the vehicle.

Originally Posted by guest89

I know people think cars are more economical, handle better, are easier to brake quickly, etc. But I've seen a lot of people get injured or killed in car crashes when they were in a car and the other vehicle is a SUV or a truck and they basically drive from the scene with no injuries at all.

I also know the argument that cars are much better in cities where the streets are narrower, parking is an issue, etc. but my caution to that is even a low speed impact, even with other small cars, can be extremely hazardous. I've seen people driving smart cars and Honda Fits leave in an ambulance with broken bones at a 25MPH crash.

There's no way getting around physics, unfortunately.

He was speeding, simple as that.

Originally Posted by guest89

Trucks are obviously the safest. Especially once you get to a F250/2500 size on up.


Not too long ago we had a crash where a guy driving in an F250 with his 2 kids t-boned a lady in a Nissan Altima with her 3 kids after she ran a red-light.

The lady and two of her kids died on scene. One kid survived. The guy and his two kids were completely uninjured and he literally drove his truck home without issue. May have had an aftermarket steel bumper but I'm not 100% on that.



I've only been to one crash where a driver in a pickup truck was a fatality. It was an early 2000s Dodge 1500 extended cab. Driver was drunk and doing over 100MPH. He rolled 5 times and struck a red-light pole broadside as he was rolling. Never been to a crash where an SUV driver was a fatality.


Been to over 50+ crashes with a car driver that was a fatality. Quit counting after awhile.

dont trucks roll over easier though and blow over?

Originally Posted by guest89

Trucks are obviously the safest. Especially once you get to a F250/2500 size on up.


Not too long ago we had a crash where a guy driving in an F250 with his 2 kids t-boned a lady in a Nissan Altima with her 3 kids after she ran a red-light.

The lady and two of her kids died on scene. One kid survived. The guy and his two kids were completely uninjured and he literally drove his truck home without issue. May have had an aftermarket steel bumper but I'm not 100% on that.



I've only been to one crash where a driver in a pickup truck was a fatality. It was an early 2000s Dodge 1500 extended cab. Driver was drunk and doing over 100MPH. He rolled 5 times and struck a red-light pole broadside as he was rolling. Never been to a crash where an SUV driver was a fatality.


Been to over 50+ crashes with a car driver that was a fatality. Quit counting after awhile.

I believe you but didn’t need to read that story about the kids, sad.

Got an F150 and wife and kids in SUV.

Originally Posted by guest89

Been to over 50+ crashes with a car driver that was a fatality. Quit counting after awhile.

How do these people look when they get killed? What do they die from? Do they typically have a laceration they bleed out from? Is their neck unhinged ?

Originally Posted by guest89

People crash because they aren't paying attention or are driving too fast for conditions. Not because they aren't nimble enough to swerve and dodge.

Sure, but I wasn't talking about why people crash. I was touching on how a smaller car makes it easier for you to avoid a crash. And, being unable to swerve and dodge is a reason why people crash.

Originally Posted by guest89

If a crash occurs its because one or more drivers are committing a traffic violation at least 99% of the time. Remaining 1% is freak accident. Blowout, equipment failure, deer running onto roadway, etc.

There are many reasons why people crash. But the point is, a large SUV can be safer, but at the same time, a danger to others and yourself.

Originally Posted by guest89

Driving a small car and hoping you won't get in a collision is literally relying on every other driver in the road-way to be traveling with both hands on their steer-wheel, doing the speed limit, obeying all traffic signs/signals, looking in their mirror and over their shoulder before switching lanes and not talking on the phone, texting, changing the radio station, looking at their kids, etc. Your expecting a lot from society bro.

Driving is always a risk no matter what kind of vehicle you are in. But its a risk all of us are willing to take everyday. There are a lot of things you can do to minimize this risk.

I personally do not drive with insurance because I know for a fact that I will never be involved in an accident where I am 100% at fault. Insurance can make you a worse driver. I already looked at all the risk on my end and devised a game plan to tackle it.

If I get hit by a larger car, so be it.

Originally Posted by jaimeruiz99

You guys should take into account that Tiger wasn't driving your typical soccer mom SUV. The Genesis GV80 is a 375 hp twin turbo V6 engine vehicle.

I think this accident had more to do with speed than the geometry of the vehicle.

they are putting more power in SUVs but can they handle sudden speed/steering changes at highway cruising speeds?
station wagons on the other hand are nearly as spacious and much safer when cornering/braking/sliding/impact......but wagons have negligible appeal in US market.

Originally Posted by guest89

Does a truck roll easier then a car that's super low to the ground? Probably. But in general trucks are heavier and wider then cars or SUV's. And trucks typically don't have as much weight as high up as an SUV.

Like I said I've only ever seen 1 truck fatality, which involved a roll at 100+ MPH. I did see a Ford F150 roll in a high speed pursuit but the dude tried to make a 90 degree turn doing 65ishMPH and struck a curb as he was skidding side-ways. Rolled liked 1.5 or 2.5x (can't remember which) and ended on its side... Driver was uninjured. I do not believe trucks are as likely to roll as a SUV should you go off the road, swerve to get back on, and over-correct. (Even then requires a high rate of speed). But then again, I haven't researched the crash data from auto manufacturers. I'm going purely based on crashes I've seen/investigated IRL.




I was riding with a friend when I was younger (both 18) in his F350. Maybe a 8-10" lift with 44" tires. It was a rainy day so he thought he'd swerve off the roadway and hit a grassy patch to throw some mud. He swerved off the roadway doing about 70MPH. Immediately started sliding and turned side-ways. The grass was on an embankment. At the bottom of the embankment was a 10-12' concrete drainage ditch.

We went in nearly side-ways at around 50-60MPH. I thought we were fugged and were going to flip. He was able to correct the steering enough to where we didn't. We were going so fast the vehicle did a 180 and we ended up with the front tires facing back the way we came. Got pulled out and no damages to truck and we weren't injured.


If we'd have been in a car or SUV we'd have probably flipped. And/or been killed from the roll and being submerged in water. As it is we were in a damn near monster truck and walked way to laugh about the incident later in life.


I am a firm believer that bigger is better, and safer.

interesting but makes sense my mom rolled her suv Volvo In the snow when I was a kid. No one hurt and once the car was flipped back over we drove away. But I do feel pretty safe in my c300 but a raised truck would squash it

I love trucks, but don't overestimate their safety for the vehicle occupants.

Safest vehicles based on NHTSA and IIHS and fancy math.

https://informedforlife.org/viewartcl.php?index=167


Fatality rates here:

https://informedforlife.org/viewartcl.php?index=162