SUV's FOR EXECUTIVE USE

Tony Scotti

Many executives are either driven in or are driving SUV's. In some parts of the world the only vehicle used by executives is an SUV. First and foremost the term "Sports Utility Vehicle" is wrong. There is nothing sport about a SUV - and in some SUV's there is nothing utility about them - and I have driven some SUV's where I'm not sure about the vehicle thing.

There are different uses for the SUV:

• Executive Transportation
• Off Road use
• Security Vehicle
  • Normal
  • High Risk
• Armored Vehicle
  • Normal
  • High Risk

For now I will cover using SUV as Executive Transportation, with safety being the first issue.

SUV PROBLEMS?
There are some people who would have you believe that if you drive a SUV you are in a rolling time bomb. Here's what the most of the critics of SUV's don't tell you.

NHTSA research concludes that SUV rollovers are due largely to the way they are driven. This gets back to what we have been saying for years. Any object can be dangerous in the hands of the wrong person. Most fatalities in SUV's are single vehicle accidents that occur on weekend nights. The driver's are 25 years and younger and usually alcohol is involved. In 75 % of all rollovers the passenger was ejected from the vehicle - passengers did not have their seat belts on.

The best recommendations I can make is don't put your executive in an SUV on a weekend night with a driver that is 25 or younger and has been drinking, and oh, yes, the exec should be wearing his seat belts. You don't have to thank me for these recommendations - it's a gift.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM
We can start out by examining the notice you find in many SUV's and in articles giving advice on how to drive them. Maybe not in these exact words, but they say "Avoid turning the steering wheel sharply." You should never turn the wheel sharply just for the fun of it, but there are occasions when turning the steering wheel to avoid an emergency is a necessity. If little Johnny's ball rolls out in front of you, or if some bad guys pull out in front of you to block the road, you may have no choice but to turn the steering wheel sharply. What they are saying is that in other cars at a given speed you may be able to turn the wheel quickly and sharply with no ill affect, but in a SUV, at the same speed, quickness and sharpness, life could get exciting real quick.

What is a frequent scenario and one you see often is the SUV driver that is driving to close to the car in front of them. The driver of the SUV decides to pass the car in front of them -but since they are driving too close -they have to put allot of steering into the SUV in order to get around the vehicle, and that is the beginning of the problem. The driver has just done one of the most dangerous things you can do in a SUV combine speed and a lot of turning. Solution - in a SUV you need to leave yourself more room to maneuver than you do driving a regular sedan.

ACTIVE - PASSIVE SAFETY

Active Safety - things that assist in keeping you out of trouble this works for both safety and security.

Passive Safety - things that once the incident happens keep you safe and secure.

There are two types of safety devices on vehicles - Active and Passive.

Passive devices like airbags are more important in SUV's than in other vehicles. If you are purchasing an SUV for yourself or company use, get one with as many airbags as possible with special attention paid to side and roof airbags.

Active safety devices are thing like ABS - Traction control, and new but probably the most important is Stability Control. Each manufacture has a different name for it but basically it is a computer system that uses the ABS and Traction Control computers to monitor what the car is doing, after you tell it what to do. By measuring throttle position, steering wheel angle and lateral acceleration, the computer compares the intended path of the vehicle to the path the car is actually taking. If it's not doing what you wanted it to do, or if what you are doing is contrary to good sense and the laws of physics, the computer takes over. When the computer decides that you are on a disastrous courses it takes over the driving chores by applying one of the front brakes, or in some systems one of the front and/or rear brakes, to straighten the car and put it back on the path you wanted it to go.

Does it work new test show startling results, as much as a 35% decrease in accidents with stability control system. No thought needed here get it either for your personal vehicle or your corporate vehicle.