75% More Pedestrians Have Been Killed Since 2009. Giant Trucks and SUVs Are Why
Key Takeaways
- Bigger cars, bigger danger. Pedestrian fatalities have surged 75% since 2009, linked to the rise of larger vehicles like SUVs and pickups.
- Size matters in safety. Larger vehicle dimensions contribute to increased pedestrian deaths, with 200-400 lives potentially saved annually if cars hadn’t grown.
- Regulations and repercussions. Changes in emissions and fuel economy rules inadvertently encouraged bigger cars, impacting pedestrian safety.
- Physics of impact. Larger vehicles distribute force differently, but their height and mass increase the risk of deadly collisions.
Bottom line: The rise of larger vehicles has significantly increased pedestrian fatalities, highlighting the unintended consequences of regulatory changes and vehicle design trends.
https://www.thedrive.com/news/75-more-pedestrians-have-been-killed-since-2009-giant-trucks-and-suvs-are-whyOpen linkView original on lemmy.dbzer0.com129
Comments9
I’m a big guy, but my cars’ bumpers would hit me below the knee and throw me onto the hood. Both even have padded engine covers to prevent injury from hitting the hood.
The loaner I got recently, despite being marketed as a “compact SUV” would have hit me right on my hips and the clearance would mean I’d be pulled under the car.
And that’s the smallest car the dealer could give me. And it barely fit in my garage.
I believe the increasingly bright headlights are also a factor in nighttime pedestrian deaths. The lights are blinding people to traffic moving beyond the lights.
The rise of cellphone surfers has nothing to do with these statistics?
Europe has cell phones but smaller cars and hasn’t seen this increase.
It's actually pretty easy to tell that its the cars, not the phones. The fatality statistics all record the vehicle involved, so you can use the rates with smaller/older cars to adjust for any changes in infrastructure or phone usage.
That issue would be less dangerous with smaller cars.
It does, and other studies have shown that cellphones are the primary cause, regardless of vehicle size.
But despite that, vehicles are far too large to be safe.
...driver cellphones? Lol
I just saw one that said the opposite