Generally speaking, if you get into a car accident, you are safer if you are in a pickup truck than if you are in a car. Many people who don’t need trucks for work or any other purpose just pick them because of this relative safety.
So, what makes a pickup truck safer? There are numerous factors. Height is important. If you’re in a low passenger car, an accident may push the front of the other vehicle into your window or passenger compartment, but the same wreck in a pickup truck could send the other car below your feet. You can still get injured, but the odds of death are lower.
Another reason is weight. When two vehicles collide, the heavier one tends to push the lighter one back. This effect has been studied by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), among others. Experts note that the people in the lighter vehicle, therefore, have more force acting upon them in the crash, so the odds of serious injuries are greater.
Overall, a larger vehicle just tends to be sturdier, and it offers more protection. Even if you hit another pickup, your vehicles are at least evenly matched. The type of vehicle you decide to drive may not determine whether or not you get into an accident in the first place, but it can change the ramifications of that accident significantly.
No matter what you drive, if you get injured or if a loved one dies in an accident this year, be sure you know what legal options you have.