SUVs Are Bad News on Some Fronts, but Buyers Aren’t Swayed

If you’ve ever witnessed a sport-utility vehicle reeling out of control, you’ll appreciate why auto makers have been ordered to post dramatic rollover warnings on these hulking, high-riding vehicles.

It’s unnerving, to say the least. On the 405 Freeway last fall, I saw a speeding SUV attempt to sharply change lanes. The maneuver resulted in the vehicle violently rocking back and forth and nearly toppling onto another car.

Watching the lurching SUV zigzag reminded me of an out-of-control snowboarder careening down a mountain.

Fortunately, the driver regained enough control of the vehicle to prevent an accident. Nevertheless, it was a sobering reminder of the potential for SUVs to roll over.

But rollovers aren’t the only worry. SUVs generally pollute at a higher rate; they block other motorists’ visibility; and some experts suggest that SUV drivers are apt to be overconfident and become risk takers as a result.

The Automobile Club of Southern California has even issued driving tips for SUV owners. High on the list is this advice from Steve Mazor, the club’s principal engineer:

“Avoid a ‘road warrior’ mentality. Some SUV drivers operate under the false illusion that they can ignore common rules of caution because they are protected by a bigger vehicle or four-wheel-drive traction. Overconfidence in your vehicle’s abilities,” Mazor warns, “can lead to serious collisions.”

With SUVs now accounting for one in five new-vehicle sales in the U.S., that advice should be taken seriously.

“SUVs definitely have plus points,” says Carol Thorp, a spokeswoman for the Auto Club. They appeal to motorists for their large passenger and cargo space. They do offer safety for their occupants in multi-vehicle crashes. And they are undeniably status symbols.

The problems relate mostly to mid-size and full-size SUVs (such as the Chevy Suburban and the big Fords--Explorer, Expedition and the forthcoming Excursion), less so to the many small SUVs that make up such a huge part of the light-truck market. These smaller vehicles--such as the Toyota RAV4, Chevy Tracker and Jeep Wrangler--are less problematic in terms of mileage and emissions.

And the auto industry has attempted to redress some of the drawbacks with the largest vehicles, lowering their frames and improving suspensions. Some of the smaller SUVs offer fuel economy that is not much different from that of cars.

Nonetheless, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last week unveiled a graphic rollover warning label--depicting an SUV lurching to one side with two wheels high in the air--that auto makers will be required to post on new SUVs.

Nearly 1,500 people were killed in SUV rollovers in 1997, the most recent year for which data are available; 43,200 people died in traffic accidents that year, according to federal statistics. Interestingly, more than 70% of the SUV occupants killed in the rollovers were not wearing seat belts, which could have saved their lives.

The large SUVs also are being blamed for disproportionately polluting the air.

A recently released congressional report concluded that the air that residents in the Los Angeles Basin are breathing is so polluted that our risk of developing cancer is 426 times higher than the health standard set by the 1990 Clean Air Act. The proliferation of higher-emission trucks has accounted for part of that problem.

New federal and state regulations will require SUVs to meet the same emission standards as cars beginning in 2004. Those rules are bound to raise the cost of operating the vehicles, if history is any guide.

With all the bad news surfacing about trendy SUVs in the last few weeks, one might assume that their public popularity would start to diminish. Environmentalists and other critics of these behemoth vehicles are optimistic that drivers will begin to turn elsewhere. But others disagree.

“Absolutely not. People are going to continue to flock to SUVs,” says Jim Hossack, senior consultant at AutoPacific Inc., an Orange County automotive marketing and consulting group.

Hossack contends that aficionados of SUVs won’t be turned off by rollover statistics, pollution concerns or gasoline prices.

The average annual income of SUV owners is $75,000, Hossack says, noting: “They buy SUVs because of their quality, versatility and safety features. These people aren’t worried about fuel economy.”

Hossack dismisses the rollover risk: “If the drivers are sober and not doing anything stupid, they should be able to control the vehicle.”

Yet, he acknowledges, “because SUV drivers feel safer, they will probably drive faster and take more risks.”

New safety warnings on the vehicles aren’t going to have much effect, Hossack believes.

“They are already bcovered with labels. . . . We need to give Americans credit for already knowing how to drive,” he says.

AutoPacific’s research shows that people buy the big vehicles because they feel safer and more protected. Sitting up high above other cars on the road gives them the advantage of greater visibility.

That visibility is great. But whether you’re stuck behind an SUV in traffic in a small Honda or a sleek Mercedes sedan, your visibility is practically zero.

The other enticement, Hossack says, is freedom: “They think, ‘I may only go skiing once a year, but I want the freedom to go up to Mammoth even if it’s snowing.’ Or they want to tow a boat to the Colorado River.”

Yet people were skiing at Mammoth or boating on the Colorado River long before SUVs appeared on the landscape. But tell that to the segment of the population who need the rush of a giant vehicle.

What’s puzzling is that many people who own SUVs never venture off city streets and freeways. Research from AutoPacific shows that when asked what they use their SUVs for, 87% of drivers listed shopping and errands, 76% said pleasure driving, 68% listed vacations and only 13% cited off-road uses.

I’d like a dollar for every speeding Suburban I’ve seen carrying only the driver and one child. And with the introduction of the massive Ford Excursion in the near future, we can expect the battle of the monster vehicles, as neighbors try to one-up one another with whose truck occupies the most roadway.

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Jeanne Wright cannot answer mail personally but will attempt to respond in this column to automotive questions of general interest. Write to Your Wheels, Business Section, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, CA 90053. Via e-mail: highway1@latimes.com.

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SUV Safety Tips

If you do own an SUV or plan to buy one in the future, the Automobile Club offers some other safety tips:

* One major difference between most cars and the generally heavier SUVs is stopping distance. Allow a greater braking distance, especially in bad weather.

* The center of gravity, which is higher in light trucks than in most cars, can lead to a greater chance of the driver losing control with sudden, jerky steering. And when the vehicle is not equipped with four-wheel drive, or when that feature is not activated, the rear-wheel drive can be prone to skidding because there is less weight over the driving wheels.

* Practice driving in an empty parking lot when the pavement is wet to get used to the vehicle’s brakes, steering and overall handling.