Toyota Fortuner’s solid build saves MLA involved in massive crash [Video]

India sees one of the largest numbers of accidents in the world every year. While many accident cases turn out to be fatal, this high-speed crash of a Toyota Fortuner shows how solid build quality of cars can save lives. The incident happened in Uttar Pradesh last week.

The accident happened on Agra-Lucknow Expressway. Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Pooja Pal was travelling in the car at the moment and was in the car during the accident. There were three more people in the car including the driver and the personal security officer. All came out safely from the crash.

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According to the information, the Toyota Fortuner became out of control on the highway. The exact reason for the car going out of control remains unknown. However, the pictures of the incident suggest that the car was at a very high speed and did multiple rollovers before coming to a stop.

The front windshield of the Toyota Fortuner is also completely broken. However, the pictures also show that the pillars of the Fortuner remain intact. The intact pillars ensure that the roof does not cave in and crushes the passengers of the car. It also keeps the impact away from the cabin.

All the occupants of the car were shifted to a hospital for first aid and check-up.

SUVs have massive body roll

Most SUVs are not quick off the line, and one should not try to test the top speed of SUVs because it is highly unsafe. SUVs sit higher than regular cars and have high-ground clearance, which makes them unstable.

It is always better to be slow in the SUVs and keep them from toppling than drive them out of control. There are a few exceptions like the Bentley Bentagya, Lamborghini Urus and Range Rover SVR, which are designed to go fast and stay in control because of the advanced suspension setup. However, these choices remain out of the budget for most buyers.

Changing lanes quickly on the highways at a high speed can expose the body roll. It is always advised that one should be gentle with the steering wheel of any SUV.

Fortuner scored 5-star in ASEAN NCAP

The Fortuner scored 34.03 points out of 36 for Adult Occupant Protection (AOP), 43.38 points out of 49 for Child Occupant Protection (COP) and 13 points out of 18 for Safety Assist Technologies (SATs) category. The front impact score is 14.53 and a side-impact score of 16 is similar to the Hilux but the Fortuner is ahead of Hilux by scoring 3.5 against 2.4 for head protection.

It should be noted that ASEAN NCAP has not crashed-tested a Fortuner. Instead, a Hilux was used for the crash test and the Fortuner’s capability is an extension of the same. ASEAN NCAP claims that Fortuner has comparable occupant protection to the tested pickup. They also said that the technical evidence provided by Toyota proves the same. It is not the Indian-spec Fortuner. The model is sold in Thailand and Indonesian markets.

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