75% More Pedestrians Have Been Killed Since 2009. Giant Trucks and SUVs Are Why
2 hours ago
- #Regulatory Impact
- #Vehicle Safety
- #Pedestrian Fatalities
- Pedestrian fatalities have surged 75% since 2009, linked to the rise of larger vehicles like SUVs and pickups.
- About 200-400 pedestrian deaths annually could have been prevented if vehicle size hadn't increased over the past quarter-century.
- Regulatory changes, such as the 'footprint model' for fuel economy, inadvertently encouraged automakers to produce larger vehicles.
- Larger vehicles increase danger due to physics: greater mass and height raise impact force and alter collision dynamics, making accidents more deadly.
- The shift from smaller cars to larger crossovers and trucks has reduced the average vehicle's pedestrian-friendliness, despite some safety improvements.