INJURED?

Smaller cars carry higher injury and fatality risks

On Behalf of | Oct 2, 2017 | Car Accidents |

Georgians who are thinking about buying new cars may want to take the vehicle sizes into consideration. While smaller cars may get better gas mileage, they also place vehicle occupants at much greater risk of suffering serious injuries when they are involved in accidents.

Smaller vehicles are lighter than larger vehicles and are much likelier to be severely damaged in wrecks. Since small cars have smaller front ends, there is less of the frame available to absorb the physical forces that are released in accidents. In front-end collisions, smaller cars will thus transfer more of the physical collision forces to the occupants inside of the vehicles.

When small cars are in crashes with larger vehicles, their passengers are much likelier to sustain serious injuries. Heavier vehicles such as SUVs require greater distances to slow down and stop than do smaller, lighter vehicles. This means that people in the smaller cars may experience more of the brunt of the collisions when they are struck by heavier SUVs or other large vehicles. The fatality rate for occupants of small cars is also twice as high as for occupants of larger vehicles in car accidents, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

When accidents are caused by negligent drivers, injured victims may have grounds to file personal injury civil claims against them. By so doing, people who are injured might be able to hold the drivers accountable for their actions. Drivers who are found to be liable in causing accidents may have to pay damages to the victims in order to compensate them for their economic and noneconomic injuries. Experienced personal injury lawyers may build strong cases for their clients and use the evidence to help them to negotiate higher settlements on their behalf. If necessary, lawyers may litigate their clients’ claims by filing formal lawsuits and advocating for them through the court process.

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