The size and safety of a vehicle

People in South Carolina who are considering purchasing a new vehicle may want to factor in that its size will have a role in their safety during an accident. Generally, bigger vehicles, like trucks and SUVs, are able to endure accidents better than smaller cars.

When the safety of a vehicle is being assessed, the testers will include in their criteria the vehicle’s size, weight and structural material and durability. All of these factors contribute to the crashworthiness of a vehicle.

The front end of a vehicle and the safety of the passengers are also affected by the size of the vehicle. The front end will sustain the majority of the impact in a frontal collision. The bigger the vehicle’s front end, the more time the vehicle will have to take the impact, slowing the vehicle down as the front end is crushed. As a result, the impact that the front-seat passengers sustain is reduced. It also lowers the probability that the impact will extend into the passenger area.

The greater the distance between the front end of a vehicle and its passengers, the greater the chance that the passengers will be safe if a frontal collision occurs. For smaller vehicles, passengers have a greater chance of incurring injury because the small front ends of the vehicles will result in more of the collision’s impact extending into the passenger area.

There are multiple factors that can result in car accidents and that may be sufficient reasons to seek financial damages for the injuries that result. A personal injury attorney may file lawsuits against motorists whose negligent driving may have contributed to the accident, seeking compensation for the losses that have been incurred.