Dangerous Design

courtesy of h2.org

   Off all of the design trends that look idiotic in perspective, the rise in popularity of oversized SUVs like the Hummer seems to rank pretty high on the list. Riding a wave of low oil prices and consumer partiality to spacious cabins, higher ride height, and supposed safety SUVs sold like hot cakes during the 90's to the early 2000's.  However the benefits of the vehicles were eventually outweighed by the rising costs of fuel, a positive development in the end, for SUVs designed more for indulgence rather than genuine function are an example of irresponsible design that has no place in society.
    Though the dangers of the SUV were probably not the intention of the automakers who capitalized on their popularity, profit margins were: automakers could make more money selling an SUV than a compact car. First designed for a niche market, they quickly caught on in popularity. Before the recession hit,  consumers were more likely to indulge, and were convinced that these vehicles were designed for safety and security. However times have changed and society' attitudes have changed
    Though many features of the design were very pleasing to consumers, one can't ignore the fact that most people didn't need such a monstrosity to maintain a comfortable living, and that the perceived "safety"  of the design was an illusion, of all the SUVs, the Hummer had the highest rollover rate and number of drivers killed. Simply put, you are much more likely to be killed if you get in a an accident with an SUV. Many consumers are under the illusion that being in the biggest vehicle in a car accident protects you more. They couldn't be more wrong: the higher masses of SUvs make it harder to stop the car; this increased difficulty in maneuvering the vehicle makes it harder to avoid accidents and increases the number of fatal accidents.         Another huge flaw in the design of the SUV is that its design exempts it from being put through the standard safety regulations: being built on a truck frame makes it a truck, and trucks don't have to go through safety tests because they are supposed to handle like trucks: rigid designs that are unsafe because unlike smaller vehicles they don't have skeletons with build-in crumple zones. Giving consumers a product that handles like trucks that were originally meant for those in a trade or truck drivers is irresponsible and dangerous to society. The dangerous design of SUVs creates a car with more blind spots, poor braking because of increased size and momentum, and a higher likelihood of rollover because of its height. Its huge size makes average drivers overconfident despite the fact that most people don't know how to drive a truck.
    Then there's their dismally low mileage of 10-14 mpg, which should be an outrage if you're only driving to the store for some milk, not bumping over rough terrain or through deep snow. Unless you live in such an environment SUVs are socially useless, and essentially waste huge amounts of fuel and emit a lot of carbon into the atmosphere. Fortunately, rising gas prices and changing attitudes made these vehicles less attractive to consumers and their popularity decreased.
    The many design factors that make it a dangerous car on the road, emit excessive amounts of excessive greenhouse gases and fulfill a superficial need make this design irresponsible and dangerous to society; fortunately, society and the times have changed, and more and more these monstrosities are becoming irrelevant, doomed as no more than a brief fad in history.

http://www.lilith-ezine.com/articles/automotive/SUVs-Are-Dangerous.html