Re:Malcolm Gladwell's 5 Steps to Success
by mattmaroon on Friday November 07, 2008 @09:23PM
(#357381)
If you want an example, read an article of his that's freely available called Big and Bad, and then look at NTSB safety stats. His article poses that SUVs are less safe because they are less maneuverable, and therefore more prone to accidents. His "proof" is that a Chevy TrailBlazer didn't handle nearly as well as a Porsche that costs 2x as much on a test track.
Fortunately for SUV owners, actual data does show that they're safer. They don't really handle much worse than sedans in their price class, and they do have lower instances of fatalities in accidents.
They make up nearly a half of the top 20 safest cars, while they are nowhere near half of the total models sold. Gladwell actually even shows the safety stats of a few hand picked sedans and SUVs, but doesn't bother showing the entirety of the data available, which proves the exact opposite of his thesis.
Fortunately for SUV owners, actual data does show that they're safer. They don't really handle much worse than sedans in their price class, and they do have lower instances of fatalities in accidents.
They make up nearly a half of the top 20 safest cars, while they are nowhere near half of the total models sold. Gladwell actually even shows the safety stats of a few hand picked sedans and SUVs, but doesn't bother showing the entirety of the data available, which proves the exact opposite of his thesis.