I'm not sure what safety standards you're referring to... certainly, cars evolved higher safety standards, but SUV's threw most of that out the window. Many (b

I'm not sure what safety standards you're referring to... certainly, cars evolved higher safety standards, but SUV's threw most of that out the window. Many (but not all) SUV's are pretty much shells bolted on to a light truck frame. They are very top-heavy, and prone to rolling, and they don't have the structural integrity of minivans and sedans - furthermore, they are built into a very stiff frame that doesn't have much give. The net result is a car that is considerably more likely to inflict severe injury or death toward pedestrians and drivers outside the car, yet remarkably enough also reduces the safety of the people inside the car. SUVs may make people feel safe - in this sense, they are "the triumph of marketing over engineering". If you're interested in protection, a heavy, single frame car that stays lower to the ground is probably your best bet (though you will risk some injury when and SUV hits you up high and circumvents some of your buffering, a heavy frame and a vastly lower probability of rolling will offset this for a net gain in safety). It's also preferable when your increase in safety doesn't come at the expense of people outside your car (though, like I said earlier, SUVs don't really increase safety for their occupants).