The image of the school-run 4×4 is an enduring one. Range Rovers, Shoguns and Land Cruisers may seem like gas- guzzling bad jokes, but as this book by American journalist Keith Bradsher shows, the laugh is on all other road users, not to mention the entire planet. Working as The New York Times’ man in Detroit, Bradsher was well placed to knock down a few SUV myths. Like safety. SUVs have four-wheel-drive and are built like small trucks, so it stands to reason they are safer than flimsy economy cars (not to mention cycles and scooters).The reality is that they’re less stable than cars, so are more prone to roll-over accidents. And if they hit a smaller vehicle, they can crush it, and its occupants. Pedestrians and cyclists get sucked underneath. For every life saved by an SUV calculates Bradsher, five are lost.

But that’s just part of the story.The author explains how the SUV came about – in the 1960s, Jeep was a lame duck, until it had the bright idea of selling four-wheel-drive to trendy surburbanites instead of farmers and backwoodsmen. Better still, SUVs could be based on small truck chassis, so they were cheap to build. And in a massive scam, the US motor industry lobbied to have them classed as trucks, making them exempt from increasingly strict economy, emissions and safety laws. Bradsher also looks into the psychology of SUV buyers and points out that older, cheaper 4x4s are getting into the hands of young, inexperienced drivers, which is a scary combination.

All of this is based on US experience, but it’s just as applicable to Europe, where SUVs are taking to the roads in increasing numbers. High and Mighty is an eye opening book, based on solid research – if you care about road safety, please read it.

High and Mighty: SUVs – The world’s most dangerous vehicles and how they got that way Keith Bradsher . Public Affairs . ISBN 1 58648 123 1