| utility vehicles were all the craze just a few short | | | | sharp turns as well as overall speed. |
| years ago. I remember the near hysteria that people | | | | My Jeep is built for driving through muddy terrain, |
| drove themselves into over the Hummer and the | | | | sand, snow- pretty much anything that a lot of other |
| Excursion and other large size sport utility vehicles. | | | | cars would get stuck in. However, it is not built for |
| However, nowadays, since the economy took a turn | | | | driving super fast or for handling tight turns. In fact, |
| for the worse and gas prices skyrocketed well | | | | many sport utility vehicles will actually flip over |
| above $2 a gallon, people have been rethinking SUVs | | | | relatively easy if you mistakenly take a turn too fast- |
| and seem to no longer want anything to do with | | | | even if it is a wide turn. This is why it is important to |
| them. As a matter of fact, you may remember that | | | | always make sure that you drive cautiously when |
| many people actually rushed back to car dealerships | | | | you are driving an SUV for the first time. |
| in a last ditch effort to get rid of their SUVs only to | | | | On the other hand, sport utility vehicles are generally |
| find out that the dealership wouldn't take them back- | | | | pretty safe vehicles to be in. Whenever you see an |
| not even for a trade in! | | | | accident involving a sport utility vehicle versus a car in |
| While things are slightly better than that today, there | | | | a little fender bender, almost always you will notice |
| still looms the hidden issues with many SUVs. For | | | | that the sport utility vehicle has next to no damage. |
| example, when I allowed my boyfriend to drive my | | | | Cars, on the other hand, will usually sustain quite a bit |
| Jeep once, we were in the car and were approaching | | | | of damage from an SUV-involved accident. When my |
| an exit ramp that had a posted speed limit of 15 | | | | boyfriend and I were visiting his family in upstate |
| miles per hour. I advised him that he had better take | | | | New York several years ago, we were completely |
| the sign literally. Of course, he took the turn too fast | | | | stopped at a light when an older woman behind us |
| and practically had to slam on the brakes. Having | | | | mistakenly stepped on the gas and rammed into the |
| driven my Jeep for a while now, I know how it | | | | back of my Jeep. At the time, I had just bought my |
| handles. I also know that SUVs don't typically handle | | | | Jeep and was a bit miffed that this was actually |
| tight turns the same way that cars do. Because he | | | | happening. I got out of my car and was almost |
| was used to driving his BMW Z3, which is an | | | | positive that there would be a lot of damage. |
| extremely small convertible, he can zip around those | | | | However, I was both shocked and thankful to see |
| turns without a problem. In fact, I am almost too | | | | that the only damage was a small tear in my tire |
| sure that the tires on his car are specifically built for | | | | cover! |