>>The drivers of SUVs and other domestic tanks are also living in an illusion that driving a tougher vehicle somehow makes them safer, so they drive less carefully (or any other euphemism of your choice). The vehicle may be tougher - their bones aren't.
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>All other things being equal, more mass = more safety. But typical SUVs/trucks have some problems:
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>- Poor handling - unable to avoid accidents in the first place, which is critically important
>- High center of gravity makes them vulnerable to rollovers, which cause a high rate of serious injuries
>- Body-on-frame designs are difficult to make crashworthy to current standards, compared to the typical unit-body construction you get with sedans

While I agree with the rest, "more mass = more safety" doesn't apply to all possible cases. First, it lengthens your inertia, which translates into longer braking (specially when friction is less than ideal) and second, more centrifugal pull - that falls under poor handling, I presume. From there, once it veers off course, it's harder to get it back on.

Last but not least, if you slightly rear-end someone, a domestic tank is more likely to do some costly damage even at lower speeds - also costly in terms of road rage probability.