Many people believe that pickup trucks and SUVs cause extreme damage to cars in a collision because they are heavier and bigger. And although size is a factor, the main culprit in collisions involving low speeds is the mismatch of bumper heights.

In the United States, SUVs, minivans, and pickup trucks aren’t required to have any bumpers. While some car manufacturers do put bumpers on these vehicles, they usually don’t match up with car bumpers, which are required to have bumpers 16-20 inches above the ground.

In addition, pickup truck and SUV bumpers are typically flimsy. In fact, bumpers on most of these vehicles are purely decorative.

The result of bumper mismatch is a hefty repair bill resulting from even the most minor accidents. Without a bumper, there isn’t anything to protect a vehicle’s expensive sheet metal.

People wouldn’t expect a 10-mph collision to completely disable a vehicle, yet often times when bumper mismatch is involved, one or both vehicles are undrivable. To deal with this problem, motorists should make sure that their vehicle has a bumper and they should practice defensive driving. In addition, you should always have a road service program in case of an emergency.