If you compare the cars you see on the road today with those of a decade or two ago, you’ll have noticed several changes. One is that modern cars carry a lot more safety equipment than they used to. That’s a good thing that helps avoid many crashes and reduces injuries when they do occur.
The second thing you’ll notice is that the size of cars has grown. While some of that is to accommodate safety equipment such as airbags, the overall effect is to make these vehicles more dangerous to other road users. In particular to the smaller road users such as children, pedestrians and cyclists.
Bigger is not always better
The bigger the vehicle, the heavier it tends to be, so these newer large vehicles can do more damage to someone they hit than a smaller, lighter one.
The bulk of the vehicles can also make it much harder for the driver to see other road users. A cyclist or a child crossing the road in front of the vehicle may be totally obscured by the high and long front end. The reinforced roof supports are also wider than on an average car, obscuring more of the glass that wraps around the vehicle. That makes it harder for the driver to see out, especially at the corners. The blind spots in which other road users could be sitting oblivious to the driver are thus larger.
It’s unlikely that the thirst for these larger vehicles will dry up anytime soon. Anyone injured by someone driving one of them needs to learn more about their legal options, as there is a very good chance they will have serious injuries that merit a lot of compensation.