The Safety Myth of Off-Roaders: Are 4x4s as Safe as We Think?

Riding high above the traffic, we enjoy the thrill of cruising in our four-wheel drive (4x4) vehicles, feeling safe and secure in our "tough mobile fortress." However, when it comes to the harsh realities of road safety, American statistics suggest that being just one swerve away from disaster is not uncommon for those who venture on off-road adventures. In fact, the death rate in off-roaders or SUVs, as classified by Americans, is worse than for ordinary cars. This paradox raises a question: are we truly as safe as we think when riding in 4x4s?

The Mystery of 4x4 Stability

There isn't a reliable test to measure a car's tendency to topple over, and manufacturers still rely heavily on the gut feeling of experienced testers to check for stability. The American Road Safety Agency has an index that predicts how likely a four-wheel drive vehicle is to roll over, based on factors such as the height of the car, center of gravity, and track width. Cars from Toyota's RAV4 and Honda's CR-V models receive three-star ratings, while the US Jeep Grand Cherokee gets two. However, these ratings don't take into account important variables like suspension softness or tire stickiness. What does it take to roll a typical 4x4 vehicle? It's possible to roll any car, regardless of whether it's a 4x4 or not. A wrong speed or angle can send a car tumbling, making it essential for drivers to exercise caution.

The Reality of Motorway Safety

When cruising down the motorway at 70 miles per hour, a sudden braking by the car in front will cause any driver without stability control to spin out. In such cases, as long as there's enough space, the vehicle can come to a harmless standstill, albeit shaken. However, when it comes to a 4x4, the situation is different. A simple motorway simulation was conducted on an ordinary Range Rover, which had specialists equip it with a rollover cage, racing seat, full safety harness, and safety fuel tank. The vehicle was also equipped with a shock-resistant camera for the driver's-eye view. With these safety measures in place, the 4x4 proved difficult to roll, even at just 45 miles per hour.

The Role of Modern Technology

Lately, four-wheel drive vehicles have come a long way in terms of technology and design. The latest Range Rover has air suspension that lowers the car's center of gravity at speed, improving stability. Additionally, the new Volvo XC90 comes equipped with stability control, which cuts power or applies brakes when necessary to prevent accidents. These features without a separate chassis improve the handling of many 4x4 models, including this BMW X5. While such advancements have greatly improved safety for 4x4 drivers, there's still one important aspect that requires further attention: steering too sharply without risking the vehicle's equilibrium.

Protecting Passengers in Rollovers

In recent years, airbags and roof structures designed to resist impact have become more prevalent. These measures provide added protection for passengers during rollover accidents. While these safety features are a step in the right direction, they don't eliminate the need for drivers to exercise caution when driving 4x4 vehicles. The center of gravity of most 4x4s remains too high, making them susceptible to tipping over if not handled carefully.

The Need for Scientific Testing

While the simulation conducted on an ordinary Range Rover was enlightening, it's essential to note that this was a non-scientific test rather than a rigorous study. In reality, there isn't a comprehensive test designed specifically for 4x4 vehicles to determine their stability and potential to roll over in different scenarios. To truly understand the safety risks associated with driving 4x4s, we need well-designed scientific studies that consider various factors such as speed, angle of incidence, and track width.

The Verdict: Be Cautious When Driving 4x4s

While modern technology has improved safety for 4x4 drivers significantly, it's crucial to remember that there are still inherent risks associated with driving these vehicles. The center of gravity of most 4x4s remains too high, making them susceptible to tipping over if not handled carefully. Without a comprehensive understanding of their stability and potential to roll over in different scenarios, we should all exercise caution when behind the wheel of a 4x4 vehicle.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enback then to the question as to whether or not off-roaders are quite as safe as we think they are we merrily trundle along in our four by fours towering above the traffic around us we're happy in the belief that were perfectly safe in our tough mobile fortress but riding so high are we actually as safe as we think we are American figures would suggest not in fact you might be just one swerve away from disaster despite the fact that when a car collides with a 4x4 your best rock in the 4x4 overall the death rate in off-roaders or SUVs as the Americans classed them is worse than for ordinary cars so how can that be well American statistics showed that SUVs are more likely to roll over than ordinary cars surprisingly there isn't a reliable test to measure a car's tendency to topple there are standard tests involving a variety of terms and circles but it's not clear how they relate to real-life situations manufacturers still rely heavily on the gut fear of experienced testers to check for stability the American Road Safety Agency has an index to predict how likely a four-by-four is to rollover it's based on the height of the car center of gravity and the cars track the distance between the wheels they raked cars from one to five stars the more the better the American versions of Toyotas rav4 and Honda cr-v get three stars and the US Jeep Grand Cherokee gets two but these ratings don't take into account important variables such as the softness of the suspension or the stickiness of the tires so what does it take to roll a typical 4x4 what does it take to turn a motorway journey into a whirling white line nightmare well of course it's possible to roll any car whether it's a 4x4 or not we hit a ditch or a curb at the wrong speed the wrong angle he came to go over but there is one place where a car and a 4x4 react very differently on a nice piece of flat tarmac imagine you're cruising down the motorway 70 miles an hour suddenly the car in front brake good a driver you are with no stability control you're going to spin out and as long as you heat anything you'll come to a perfectly harmless stand still a bit shaken maybe and even when I drove the saloon faster and faster all it would do was sleep so what would happen is we're in a 4x4 to find out we bought this ordinary Range Rover quite an old one but there are many on the second-hand market we had specialists to equip it with a rollover cage racing seat full safety harness safety fuel tank and to give you a drivers eye view a shock resistant camera we also brought in a professional stunt driver Julian Spencer who with a few basic precautions was prepared to put our 4x4 to the test and as even we didn't know ourselves what was going to happen we had an ambulance and a fire crew on standby just in case again a simple motorway simulation but now as just 45 miles an hour suddenly the car will brake at the 4x4 we'll need to swerve to avoid a rear-end impact tifford found it impossible to roll the car but our stunt driver found it easy to roll a 4x4 and remember this is at only 45 miles an hour imagine what would have happened if Julian had been doing 70 for Julian it was just another day in the office for 4x4 drivers a shocking image of what might be if it hadn't been for the rollover cage the damage would have been even worse but of course the latest four-by-fours have come a long way since this old Range Rover the latest Range Rover has air suspension that lowers the car and its center of gravity at speed to improve stability and like the new Volvo xc90 stability control to cut power or apply brakes when you're likely to get into trouble and it's that more car-like suspension without a separate chassis improves the handling of many four by fours including this BMW x5 but even talking the future of systems to prevent you steering too sharply for a car's equilibrium but I'm not sure about fancy of that if I was heading for a tree plus there are already better curtain airbags to protect passengers in rollovers and distill roof structures that resist all over impact but whatever they've done to improve four-by-fours I still wouldn't try this sort of emergency avoidance test in any of them their centers of gravity are simply too high you may think you're safer in a 4x4 me I'm not so sure of course ours wasn't a cooper scientific test but surely that's the point we need one youback then to the question as to whether or not off-roaders are quite as safe as we think they are we merrily trundle along in our four by fours towering above the traffic around us we're happy in the belief that were perfectly safe in our tough mobile fortress but riding so high are we actually as safe as we think we are American figures would suggest not in fact you might be just one swerve away from disaster despite the fact that when a car collides with a 4x4 your best rock in the 4x4 overall the death rate in off-roaders or SUVs as the Americans classed them is worse than for ordinary cars so how can that be well American statistics showed that SUVs are more likely to roll over than ordinary cars surprisingly there isn't a reliable test to measure a car's tendency to topple there are standard tests involving a variety of terms and circles but it's not clear how they relate to real-life situations manufacturers still rely heavily on the gut fear of experienced testers to check for stability the American Road Safety Agency has an index to predict how likely a four-by-four is to rollover it's based on the height of the car center of gravity and the cars track the distance between the wheels they raked cars from one to five stars the more the better the American versions of Toyotas rav4 and Honda cr-v get three stars and the US Jeep Grand Cherokee gets two but these ratings don't take into account important variables such as the softness of the suspension or the stickiness of the tires so what does it take to roll a typical 4x4 what does it take to turn a motorway journey into a whirling white line nightmare well of course it's possible to roll any car whether it's a 4x4 or not we hit a ditch or a curb at the wrong speed the wrong angle he came to go over but there is one place where a car and a 4x4 react very differently on a nice piece of flat tarmac imagine you're cruising down the motorway 70 miles an hour suddenly the car in front brake good a driver you are with no stability control you're going to spin out and as long as you heat anything you'll come to a perfectly harmless stand still a bit shaken maybe and even when I drove the saloon faster and faster all it would do was sleep so what would happen is we're in a 4x4 to find out we bought this ordinary Range Rover quite an old one but there are many on the second-hand market we had specialists to equip it with a rollover cage racing seat full safety harness safety fuel tank and to give you a drivers eye view a shock resistant camera we also brought in a professional stunt driver Julian Spencer who with a few basic precautions was prepared to put our 4x4 to the test and as even we didn't know ourselves what was going to happen we had an ambulance and a fire crew on standby just in case again a simple motorway simulation but now as just 45 miles an hour suddenly the car will brake at the 4x4 we'll need to swerve to avoid a rear-end impact tifford found it impossible to roll the car but our stunt driver found it easy to roll a 4x4 and remember this is at only 45 miles an hour imagine what would have happened if Julian had been doing 70 for Julian it was just another day in the office for 4x4 drivers a shocking image of what might be if it hadn't been for the rollover cage the damage would have been even worse but of course the latest four-by-fours have come a long way since this old Range Rover the latest Range Rover has air suspension that lowers the car and its center of gravity at speed to improve stability and like the new Volvo xc90 stability control to cut power or apply brakes when you're likely to get into trouble and it's that more car-like suspension without a separate chassis improves the handling of many four by fours including this BMW x5 but even talking the future of systems to prevent you steering too sharply for a car's equilibrium but I'm not sure about fancy of that if I was heading for a tree plus there are already better curtain airbags to protect passengers in rollovers and distill roof structures that resist all over impact but whatever they've done to improve four-by-fours I still wouldn't try this sort of emergency avoidance test in any of them their centers of gravity are simply too high you may think you're safer in a 4x4 me I'm not so sure of course ours wasn't a cooper scientific test but surely that's the point we need one you\n"