>>>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.
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>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.

If people tail-gate me I just take my foot off the gas, slow them down (ignore the flashing and shaking fists), then, when they're slow enough, pull away to my desired speed, with them now at a safe distance. Repeat until they get the message. Sometimes switching on the rear fogs puts the muckies up them too.