Great mileage, bad wrecks

Small, fuel-efficient cars are in and big, thirsty vehicles are out. But as consumers try to save money on gas, their odds
of getting hurt increase, the Insurance Research Council warned today.

The Pennsylvania organization, which researches the property and casualty business, says its analysis of 9,140 claims involving
personal injury show that people in big vehicles fare better in crashes.

People hurt in the lightest 25 percent of vehicles were hospitalized more often and lost more time at work than people riding
in the heaviest 25 percent of vehicles. Lighter vehicles cost more to fix, too.

Whatâ??s light? The smallest 25 percent weighed 2,771 pounds or less. The big vehicles weighed at least 3,726 pounds.

And the council didnâ??t include people who died or suffered permanent total disabilities because the affect of those few claims
would have distorted the averages.

So, how do you feel about driving small vehicles? Are they worth the risk?