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Children are no safer riding in sport utility vehicles than in passenger cars, according to a study.
This was largely due to the doubled risk of rollovers in SUVs cancelling out the safety advantages of their greater size and weight.
Researchers said the findings dispel the bigger-equals-safer myth that has helped fuel the growing popularity of SUVs among families. SUV registrations climbed 250% in the United States between 1995 and 2002.
"We're not saying they're worse or that they're terrible vehicles. We're challenging the conventional wisdom that everyone assumed they were better," said Dr Dennis Durbin, a pediatric emergency physician who took part in the study, published on Tuesday in the journal Pediatrics.
Eron Shosteck, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said he had not seen the study but cited government research released last summer that found SUVs have become less top-heavy since 2000 and made dramatic improvements in rollover resistance.
"SUVs have an exceptional safety record and are safer than or as safe as cars in the vast majority of crashes," Shosteck said.
The study, which Durbin called the first on SUVs and child safety, was sponsored by Partners for Child Passenger Safety, a research project of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the world's largest insurer, Bloomington-based State Farm Insurance Co.
The researchers looked at accidents involving nearly 4 000 children under age 16 between 2000 and 2003, and found child injury rates of about 1.7% in both cars and SUVs. The study examined only 1998 or newer cars and SUVs with second-generation air bags.
On average, the SUVs weighed 800kg more than the cars studied. The study found that the extra weight of SUVs enhanced safety, reducing the risk of injury by more than a third.
But that was offset by findings that SUVs were more than twice as likely as cars to roll over in crashes.
Children in rollovers were three times more likely to be seriously injured than those in non-rollover accidents, according to the study.
The findings surprised researchers, who assumed heavier SUVs were safer than cars when they launched the study a year ago, Durbin said.
SUV safety will probably improve because of legislation approved by Congress this year that requires the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to develop standards for carmakers to address SUV rollovers, he said.
"To the extent that SUV makers can solve the rollover problem, we may see them becoming the safe haven for children that they have the potential to be," Durbin said.
Carmakers already have made strides through engineering and new technology such as electronic stability control, Shosteck said.
NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson agreed but said he hopes the study will encourage families to check safety ratings closely before buying.
"I think there is a segment of the buying public that may be buying them with the false impression that they are buying the safest vehicle they can for their families," Tyson said.
Hmm, bagaimana, ya? Yang jelas beresiko lebih tinggi daripada sedan karena bodinya yg tinggi, kalau dibandingkan dengan SUV, entah lebih berbahaya atau tidak. Yang jelas minivan yang tingginya memiliki rasio semakin besar terhadap lebarnya, akan memiliki risiko roll-over yg lebih tinggi karena lebih limbung. Misalnya Serena dan Alphard hampir sama tinggi, tapi Alphard jauh lebih lebar = lebih menempel ke jalan. Elysion yang lebih rendah, lebih mantap lagi. Contoh lain, Innova lebih mantap dibanding Avanza atau APV yang terlihat 'limbung'.
Ferrari atau Lamborghini yang sangat rendah memiliki risiko roll-over yang lebih kecil, sedangkan sepeda yang sangat tinggi tapi sangat tidak lebar tentu jauh lebih mudah terguling..
Wait a minute Jedi, before yr comments make Serena buyers / owners panic, let me correct yr data :
Serena : Tinggi 1825 mm. Lebar 1695 mm
Ratio height to width = 1.07
Alphard : Tinggi 1935 mm. Lebar 1805 mm
Ratio height to width = 1.07
Hey ! They are about the same ! So pls don't say Alphard is more stable than Serena ! Anyway, there is another factor selain height to width ratio, yaitu center of gravity. If the engineers set the centre of gravity low enough, tinggi juga masih aman. Ya asal minivan jangan di pakai seperti Nissan Skyline, main drifting atau like drive a F1 car !
Like a tall super ocean liner. Kenapa masih aman berlaut ? Soalnya naval architectnya jelas ngerti center of gravitynya harus di turunkan.
Don't worry c24 owners. My own experience and the Malaysian Review proved that asal anda kendarainya cara wajar, she is stable ! Anyway if U got family, ngapain sih stir minivan ngebut kencang di atas say 120 km/jam ? What for ?
And if U look at a big SUV and a tall minivan, malah I am sure minivan lebih stabil ! Soalnya SUV ground clearancenya tinggi, jadi mau ngak mau center of gravitynya pasti di atas minivan yang bagian bawahnya juga " Berisi, padat " !
Bung Sithlord, kalo menurut saya rasio tinggi : lebar itu tidak tepat? Seperti kita ketahui lebar sebuah mobil biasanya termasuk dengan lebar spion kiri & kanan.
Mobil yg sama, rasio perbandingannya akan berbeda jika dihitung dengan spion atau tanpa spion.
Jadi yang sangat berpengaruh sebenarnya adalah center of grativity itu sendiri. Semakin rendah, tentu semakin stabil.
I get yr point bung slayer, tapi I believe almost all Japanese car data itu lebarnya ngak hitung spion.
Kenapa I believe so ? I compare Stream and Serena's lebar, on paper itu sama, dan di garasi saat saya lihat 2 mobil saya itu, dari hadap depan, belakang, memang lebarnya ngak beda gitu jauh.
2nd, I think US made cars hitung spionnya. Saya pernah lihat data lebar Ford Everest dan Opel Blazer. On paper wow ! Sangat besar ! 1800+ mm lebih ! Tapi saat lihat Everest, kok kecil dan kurus banding yang saya expect for a car yang more than 1800+mm lebar. In fact I remember, years ago, saya penasaran, sampai saya ambil ukuran meteran, dan saya ukur sendiri lebarnya Everest. True enough data di brochure itu lebarnya TERMASUK spion !
But trust me. Alphard and c24's data is TANPA spion !
Anyway, like I said, engineering design is all about compromises. U can't have it all ! U mau super stability, ya beli sportscar ! Superb handling but anjing anda mungkin juga ngak betah di mobil lama lama.
Mau lega, headroom, feeling of spaciousness ? Well, U got to sacrifice some stability. Cuman for consumers like me, I feel dapat cabin lega, dan dengan handling segitu, cukup untuk saya. I don't need sportscar handling ! Asal lari 120 km/jam masih stabil, THAT is good enough for me !
Istilah for a guy like me, minivan macam c24, advantagesnya lebih dari disadvantagesnya ! Of course for bung Ween, the opposite is true ! Different people have different needs !
And I tell U, I have driven a kapsul for 120 km/jam in the past. And I can testify that the stability of the c24 wins hands down compared to a kapsul at 120 km/jam. Bukan hanya center of gravity, tapi juga steering ! Steering kapsul terlalu ringgan dan kurang mantap. That is why at 120 km/jam, mulai sedikit drifting. Tapi steering c24 lumayan mantap, THAT helps high speed stability !
ok, saya cerita sedikit ttg x-trail saya yang dulu......
waktu itu sore2 sekitar jam 5 sore di tol pasteur bandung........my bokap baru pulank kerja dari padalarang menuju rumah melaju ke arah pasteur dengan kecepatan sekitar 110-120 di jalur kiri.......dari sebelah kanan, ada kijang lgx nyusul........jadi kecepatan kijang jelas lebih cepat dari x-trail saya......tepat setelah menyusul kendaraan kami, tiba2 si kijang banting setir kekiri, karena di kiri ada pintu keluar tol......saya lupa pintu tolnya, kalo ga salah baros.....dia langsung keluar tol memotong mobil yang dikemudikan babe saya.........sepertinya si kijang hampir kebablasan keluar tol.....
papa refleks nginjek rem abis dan ikut banting stir ke kiri, karena kalau tetap lurus, pasti udah tabrakan gara2 digebog pantat kijang......
akibatnya x-trail saya melintir 90 derajat ke kiri(posisi jadi melintang di jalan tol)& body terus terseret ke kanan belasan meter, udah seperti mobil rally di tikungan tajam(biasanya pereli narik rem tangan)........hebatnya, si x-trail ga terbalik tuh........saya juga sempet ga percaya apa yang baru saya & dad alami & dan kami masih selamat!!!!!!saya yakin kalau naek kijang, panther, avanza etc, pasti kami udah terbalik2 seperti dadar gulung............THX 2 God......tetapi saya kagum sama kestabilan x-trail......gila bgt, ga kalah dibanding sedan!!!!
Ok, I stand corrected, Dark Lord. Serena is just as limbung as the Alphard.
Tapi sekarang Anda tentu menyadari KEUNGGULAN LOW-FLOOR TECHNOLOGY dari Honda, kan? Lihat new Odyssey, Elysion and the new Stepwagon!
Honda's Low-floor technology = lower center of gravity = much better handling and stability.
Boleh coba Anda hitung ratio tinggi : lebarnya juga.
Last edited by conan on Fri Jan 06, 2006 13:00, edited 1 time in total.
conan wrote:Ok, I stand corrected, Dark Lord. Serena is just as limbung as the Alphard.
Tapi sekarang Anda tentu menyadari KEUNGGULAN LOW-FLOOR TECHNOLOGY dari Honda, kan? Lihat Elysion and the new Stepwagon! Boleh coba Anda hitung ratio tinggi : lebarnya.
jangan lupa, alphard udah dilengkapi kontrol traksi......serena belum.....kontrol traksi memberi sumbangan sangat banyak menjaga kestabilan kendaraan....
conan wrote:Ok, I stand corrected, Dark Lord. Serena is just as limbung as the Alphard.
Tapi sekarang Anda tentu menyadari KEUNGGULAN LOW-FLOOR TECHNOLOGY dari Honda, kan? Lihat Elysion and the new Stepwagon! Boleh coba Anda hitung ratio tinggi : lebarnya.
jangan lupa, alphard udah dilengkapi kontrol traksi......serena belum.....kontrol traksi memberi sumbangan sangat banyak menjaga kestabilan kendaraan....
I stand corrected again, Mr. Ween! Nice save there btw!
So, Dark Lord, I arguably declare that Serena is still not as 'planted to the ground' as an Alphard.
You know, prices don't lie..you get what you paid for.
Alphard yg pakai kontrol traksi itu yg grade tertinggi, yg jumlahnya tidak banyak, bahkan yg 2.4L gak ada yg pakai kontrol traksi
ween wrote:
jangan lupa, alphard udah dilengkapi kontrol traksi......serena belum.....kontrol traksi memberi sumbangan sangat banyak menjaga kestabilan kendaraan....
weks.......masa sih? tapi masuk akal juga....camry 2.4 juga ga ada kontrol traksi.....yg pake control traksi cuma yg 3.0V......ga lucu juga yah, alphard2.4L yang terkenal mahal dan enak, ga ada kontrol traksi& ga ada afs.......kalah sama odys, elysion & stepwgn2.4L yg lebih murah
Odyssey atpm pun gak ada kontrol traksi, discount terakhir yg aku dengar Rp. 40 juta dari price list
ween wrote:weks.......masa sih? tapi masuk akal juga....camry 2.4 juga ga ada kontrol traksi.....yg pake control traksi cuma yg 3.0V......ga lucu juga yah, alphard2.4L yang terkenal mahal dan enak, ga ada kontrol traksi& ga ada afs.......kalah sama odys, elysion & stepwgn2.4L yg lebih murah
Bung Mpoezz, how do U know CRV is more stable than X-Trail ? Bukan saya mau belain X-Trail, tapi di SM kan lebih sip kalau ngomong ada evidencenya. Both are SUVs ! Both are similar sized.
TomS wrote:Odyssey atpm pun gak ada kontrol traksi, discount terakhir yg aku dengar Rp. 40 juta dari price list
ween wrote:weks.......masa sih? tapi masuk akal juga....camry 2.4 juga ga ada kontrol traksi.....yg pake control traksi cuma yg 3.0V......ga lucu juga yah, alphard2.4L yang terkenal mahal dan enak, ga ada kontrol traksi& ga ada afs.......kalah sama odys, elysion & stepwgn2.4L yg lebih murah
yup, walaupun odys absolute, harganya tetep aja lebih murah dari alphard 2.4L..........gila, odys atpm bener2 ga laku......malah katanya cuma laku 8 unit di kuartal terakhir 2005........banting2 harga deh.....pricelist 428jt, jadi setelah disc 388jt?
Sithlord wrote:Bung Mpoezz, how do U know CRV is more stable than X-Trail ? Bukan saya mau belain X-Trail, tapi di SM kan lebih sip kalau ngomong ada evidencenya. Both are SUVs ! Both are similar sized.
saya ada baca di topgear mr sithlord katanya crv lebih stabil di kecepatan tinggi dan tikungan karena di dibuat lebih firm makanya kalo dipake lebih enak xtrail daripada crv (dan gara gara ini juga xtrail sempat laku) karena xtrail lebih enak daripada crv.
tapi hebat juga kalo kejadiannya seperti mr ween.bayangin aja itu suv bukan sedan,kemungkinan besar sih pasti udah kebalik soalnya jalan nya aja udah 110-120.psati kita semua pernah ngerasain nikung di jalan dalam kecepatan tinggi 90-100 gitu pasti decit decit,nah ini 110-120 nginjak rem sambil banting setir lagi.
Honda kan terkenal suspensinya keras, handlingnya pasti lebih rigid
Perkiraan saja loh, karena test lateralnya gak pernah baca atau mungkin baca juga sudah lupa
Sithlord wrote:Bung Mpoezz, how do U know CRV is more stable than X-Trail ? Bukan saya mau belain X-Trail, tapi di SM kan lebih sip kalau ngomong ada evidencenya. Both are SUVs ! Both are similar sized.
Kemarin waktu iklan di kompas itu loh, special price, cuci gudang kali
ween wrote:
yup, walaupun odys absolute, harganya tetep aja lebih murah dari alphard 2.4L..........gila, odys atpm bener2 ga laku......malah katanya cuma laku 8 unit di kuartal terakhir 2005........banting2 harga deh.....pricelist 428jt, jadi setelah disc 388jt?
Sithlord wrote:Bung Mpoezz, how do U know CRV is more stable than X-Trail ? Bukan saya mau belain X-Trail, tapi di SM kan lebih sip kalau ngomong ada evidencenya. Both are SUVs ! Both are similar sized.
saya ada baca di topgear mr sithlord katanya crv lebih stabil di kecepatan tinggi dan tikungan karena di dibuat lebih firm makanya kalo dipake lebih enak xtrail daripada crv (dan gara gara ini juga xtrail sempat laku) karena xtrail lebih enak daripada crv.
I believe maksud Mr. Mpoezz, X-Trail lebih 'empuk' daripada CRV tapi kalau pada kecepatan tinggi, Honda memang more of a driver's car daripada Toyota/Nissan.
Contoh :
Civic dibanding Altis atau taksi, err, Sunny.
Accord dibanding Camry/Teana.
Anyway, do U know why Ghosn is willing to suggest to Renault to save Nissan ? Cause he says when he was working for Michelin, dia sering coba mobil macam merek.
And he has a high regard for Nissan cars ! Kalau mobil Nissan jelek, dia bakal malas coba rescue Nissan. He insist Nissan, like Mitsubishi now, in 1999 is management problem. But Nissan's engineering is well known !
