The NHTSA stats seem to somewhat contradict this claim. Looks like light trucks (< 10k lbs) have historically had a higher fatal crash rate, both per mile traveled, and per registered vehicle, than passenger cars, up through 2015. The numbers have equalized and maybe gone slightly lower only in the last ~8 years, but certainly not “way” lower. The injury-crash numbers are lower for trucks, so you might be less likely to get injured in a truck, but no less likely to die.
Trucks are heavier and have a longer stopping distance, and for a long time (until 1999) they had much lower safety standards than passenger cars. That’s not to mention it’s maybe short-sighted to ignore many legitimate concerns about air quality, fuel efficiency, children, and where to park, since under-ride crashes are only a teeny tiny fraction of fatal crashes involving any vehicles. I’m pretty sure you’re way better off from a safety perspective just driving a little slower than buying a truck, all else being equal.
The NHTSA stats seem to somewhat contradict this claim. Looks like light trucks (< 10k lbs) have historically had a higher fatal crash rate, both per mile traveled, and per registered vehicle, than passenger cars, up through 2015. The numbers have equalized and maybe gone slightly lower only in the last ~8 years, but certainly not “way” lower. The injury-crash numbers are lower for trucks, so you might be less likely to get injured in a truck, but no less likely to die.
https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/... - see Table 3, page 23 (Fatal crashes) and page 24 (Injury crashes).
Trucks are heavier and have a longer stopping distance, and for a long time (until 1999) they had much lower safety standards than passenger cars. That’s not to mention it’s maybe short-sighted to ignore many legitimate concerns about air quality, fuel efficiency, children, and where to park, since under-ride crashes are only a teeny tiny fraction of fatal crashes involving any vehicles. I’m pretty sure you’re way better off from a safety perspective just driving a little slower than buying a truck, all else being equal.