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People who drive Hummers apparently like them because they look like engines of destruction. New research out by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows that it’s not just an image thing. Hummers really do leave a trail of destruction in their wake.

According to the Institute data, Hummer owners wiped out two and a half times as many parking lot pilings and smaller cars than the average car driver. The H2 pickup was especially bad, topping the list with the worst property-damage claim record of any car on the road. The reason is fairly obvious: Hummers are enormous. With bumpers far too high off the ground, these pricey toys turn the run-of-the-mill shopping mall fender-bender into a major catastrophe.

“The Hummer is a classic example of a big mismatch with just about anything out there on the road,” says Kim Hazelbaker, senior vice president of the Highway Loss Data Institute, a nonprofit research arm of the auto insurance industry. The new data suggest that those seeking relief from a midlife crisis should abandon giant SUVs and return to the classy sports car. The car generating the lowest number of property-damage claims? The Porsche 911 coupe.