Your anonymous correspondent (Letters, March 1) says, "I think I am right in saying there are fewer 4x4s involved in any accidents and they are more roadworthy..."
In my opinion, the writer of this letter is wrong. Here are some interesting facts for you.
UK insurance industry figures from Churchill show that urban 4x4s are involved in 25 per cent more accidents than saloon cars and do far more damage.
Admiral Insurance also recently released figures showing 4x4 drivers are 27 per cent more likely to be at fault in the event of an accident.
The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro-NCAP) carries out crash tests on cars available in Europe.
Of the top ten cars tested since 1998 none is a 4x4 and only three - off-roaders make it into the top 20.
In the USA, where big 4x4s are even more common than in Chelsea, the safety record of 4x4s is appalling: A 4x4 is twice as likely to be involved in a fatal rollover as an ordinary car.
If a pedestrian is hit by a 4x4 they are twice as likely to be killed.
In a side-impact collision with a 4x4, a car driver is about four times more likely to be killed than if they were hit by another car.
-Nigel Collins, Brighton
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