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Light Trucks: Safety Issues & Auto Insurance Information
Since car insurance is our business, we’re obviously interested
in promoting automotive safety. That’s why we offer auto insurance
discounts for good driving and automotive safety features. Since we’re
also drivers, we’re also just generally interested in keeping people
updated about the latest news in automotive safety.
Safe Handling Procedures
More American drivers are now choosing sport utility vehicles (SUVs),
minivans, and pickups (collectively known as light trucks) over midsize
cars. That’s because a lot of people believe that these kinds of
cars stand a better chance of holding up in an accident. However, many
SUVs, minivans, and light trucks have been cited for having a propensity
to roll over, in part because many drivers have trouble maneuvering them.
With larger cars on the road, drivers of small cars are at risk when
they're involved in a side-impact collision with pickups or SUVs. SUVs
and pickups are generally heavier and higher riding so their bumpers can
be deadly to smaller cars on impact.
Minivans don't pose as much of a threat because they don't weigh as much
as SUVs. Their bumpers are often the same height as many smaller sized
cars.
If you drive one of these vehicles, what can you do to minimize your
risk?
- Wear a seatbelt. 80 percent of the people killed in rollovers were
not wearing one.
- Use the NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) to discover which
new vehicles have the highest and lowest rollover ratings.
- Learn how to handle your light truck. Get to know how it responds
to sudden braking or steering, especially in hazardous conditions.
- Realize that the increased weight and size of your vehicle will not
necessarily protect you in a collision.
Higher Car Insurance Rates & Gas
Since SUVs, minivans, and light trucks can be hard to handle and can cause
more damage in the event of an auto insurance claim, auto insurance rates
for these vehicles tend to be higher than for smaller cars.
Since these vehicles get lower gas mileage, your costs to fuel up will
also tend to be higher. (For information on how to save at the gas pump,
see our Esurance Insight,
“Got
Gas? How to Save Money at the Pump.”)
Affordable Auto Insurance Coverage from Esurance
If you’re looking for competitively priced auto insurance for your SUV,
minivan, or light truck, get your online auto insurance quote from Esurance.
When you get your auto insurance quote, we also show you auto insurance
quotes from other auto insurance companies. It’s easy to see your
savings when you get your auto insurance quote from Esurance.
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