Rollovers are a dominant safety concern with SUVs. Their added height and weight creates a higher center of gravity, making them top-heavy and less stable than cars.

The Volvo XC90, shown here in a rollover demonstration at its press launch, gets our vote as the best SUV for families, largely due to its abundance of safety features.

An example of how this affects safety lies in the unfortunate and fatal incidents of Ford Explorers (we cover the premium Mercury Mountaineer equivalent) rolling over because of tread separation and loss of pressure in their standard-equipment Firestone tires several years back. The Mountaineer was fitted with these same model of defective Firestone tires.

Although a car can roll over given the right circumstances, a Mercury Milan sedan experiencing a similar tire malfunction as the Firestone-equipped Ford Explorers would be less likely to roll over than the Explorer. This is because the Milan is inherently more stable than the Explorer due to its lower center of gravity.

The same applies to emergency lane changes where a driver might jerk the wheel, or when going too fast around a turn. In both scenarios, SUVs are more likely than cars to topple over because they're more top-heavy. Plus, the added size and weight makes them less responsive to steering input, slower to change directions and harder to stop, all of which can make avoiding a collision more difficult.

However, the added height and weight of SUVs can be an advantage. Extra height lets drivers sit up higher and have a better view of the road, especially in dense traffic. And the extra weight and mass does offer added protection in collisions, says Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, which crash tests SUVs and other vehicles.

"There is no question that SUVs are safer today than they were five years ago," Rader says. "They are performing better in crash testing, and they are less likely to be in rollover crashes than they used to be. Many mid-sized models earn the highest rating of 'good' in frontal crash tests."

Advances in crash protection and airbags are making SUVs safer. Plus, many of the latest models are wider and therefore more stable than past models.

Industry experts herald high-tech stability control systems as the biggest recent breakthrough in automotive safety. "SUVs are still more likely to be involved in rollovers than cars," Rader says. "If you’re buying a new SUV, make sure it’s equipped with an electronic stability control system, which can help significantly to reduce the risk of rollovers. This holds true for pickup trucks and large passenger vans, as well.”

Because SUVs come in so many different shapes and sizes, it's not wise to assume that every SUV is inherently more accident-prone than every car on the road, or that you're automatically protected by extra mass if you choose an SUV over a car. A compact SUV such as the Mercury Mariner Hybrid is 11.9 ins. taller than a Mercury Grand Marquis full-size sedan, but actually weighs 348 lbs. less. And its four-wheel-drive system may provide better traction than the Grand Marquis' rear-wheel drive setup.

If you end up buying an SUV, be sure to drive within its limits. Often this simply means taking care not to drive aggressively, avoiding speeding through turns (which could induce a rollover), tailgating (which can be more dangerous in SUVs because they tend to require more distance to stop than cars).

If buying a midsize or full-size SUV consider adding a feature called "park distance control." This system is optional on many models and includes radar sensors in the rear bumper which warn the driver through a series of beeps how close the vehicle is to an object or person behind it. Park distance control can be instrument in prevent fender benders and fatalities, especially in SUVs with poor rear visibility.

There are a number of driving schools that offer SUV courses to hone driving and safety skills. The Bridgestone Winter Driving School in Steamboat, Col. will even teach you how to drive an SUV like an expert on snow and ice.

When comparison shopping for an SUV, take a look at crash test ratings as determined by IIHS or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.