Will "Cash for Clunkers" save lives?

[keith the dem]

I've heard that the top vehicle being turned in under "Cash for Clunkers" is the Ford Explorer. Keith Bradsher's 2002 book "The High and Mighty" described the inherent dangers of the SUV design at that time. (The early Explorer was especially unstable and prone to roll-overs.) He noted that the fatality rates for SUV's then were not very high, but that was because most were then owned by upper income family people who generally were careful drivers and had few accidents.

He noted that as suspension parts wear, the SUV's became even less stable and more dangerous, both for the occupants and other people on the road. His concern was that older used vehicles would be passed down to younger drivers and lower income people, who generally have less experience, more accidents, and don't have the money to properly maintain these monsters.

I still hate the current crop of SUV's for many other reasons, but there has been substantial improvements on vehicle stability.

Getting these early SUV's off the road could save many lives. My question, was this intended or is it a wonderful unintended consequence?

I think the potential for lives saved makes this program worth every penny.

[RaleighNCDUer]

1. I suspect you are right, not just on this specific but in the general as well.

People driving new cars tend to be more careful in general - everybody knows the feeling of waiting in dread for that first 'ding'. If having the new vehicle makes one person not text while driving, it's a plus.

[Life Long Dem]

2. Because SUV driver's killed the other driver instead.

That doesn't make them better drivers, it only tells of a safer vehicle than your neighbors car.

KEITH BRADSHER, Author: You don't see in the commercials that the SUV's are extremely made dangerous to your neighbor's car. You're three times as likely to kill the other guy in a crash. You don't see that SUV's overall have a slightly higher death rate for their occupants than cars do, because of those rollovers. And yet at the same time, they're greatly raising the societal death rate because they're killing so many more people in the vehicle-to-vehicle collisions. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/transportation/july-dec03/suv_7-30.html

Better driver than me? Ha! :spank:

[keith the dem]

3. Good point

But they are never safer, the fatality rate may be less with collisions with smaller vehicles, but the overall fatality rate is still the same or higher because of the far higher rate of single vehicle crashes. (losing control and going into a tree)

All the better to get these things off the road. A wise use of tax dollars to correct a previous mistake.

[bullimiami]

4. im not sure. i think its a brilliant way to stimulate the economy though.

encouraging large purchases which include cash and credit.

[Life Long Dem]

5. Figure out how many vehicles get 18 MPG or less

And you would be looking at a bigger vehicle - cars included.