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More time off work for smaller car owners

Small vehicles cause big accidents. That’s the summary of a new US study which finds that motorists who drive light vehicles are more likely to have higher claim costs and have more time off work from injury than drivers of bigger and heavier vehicles.

In results that will please drivers of four-wheel-drive vehicles the world over, the US Insurance Research Council found the average claim for a light vehicle is some 14.3% higher than a heavy vehicle.

Light vehicles cost on average $US5554 ($6411) to repair while the average payment claim for heavier vehicles is lower at $US4859 ($5608).

And 46% of heavy vehicle drivers were able to return to work immediately after a crash while only 38% of light vehicle drivers achieved the same result.

The research suggests that as fuel prices continue to rise in the US, drivers will buy more fuel-efficient lighter cars.