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Key Takeaways Bigger cars, bigger danger. Pedestrian fatalities have surged 75% since 2009, linked to the rise of larger vehicles like SUVs and pickups.
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.
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.
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. ✦ AI assisted, editor reviewed
Since 2009, there has been a documented shift in road safety for American pedestrians. After decades of declines, pedestrian fatalities have been steadily increasing since the Great Recession. Deep down, we already knew why: it’s because the cars keep getting bigger. According to a new study by The New York Times and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, thousands of deaths would have been prevented over the past 16 years if cars had not grown so significantly in both height and weight.
“After analyzing federal and industry records, including never-before-examined data on vehicle dimensions, we found that the rise of large pickups and S.U.V.s is an important factor,” the Times report said.
“Our estimate is that about 200 to 400 pedestrians a year would not have died if vehicles had remained approximately the same size over the past quarter-century,” the report continued. “That represents about 10 percent of the recent increase in pedestrian deaths.”
According to the report, pedestrian deaths have not only increased by 75% since 2009, but the fatalities have been correlated with the hazards presented by the physical heft, height, and blind spots inherent to today’s big trucks and SUVs.
Why 2009? The answer lies in the confluence of several consequential events of that decade. The truck and SUV boom really started in the ’90s, and likely would have kept right on roaring through the late aughts had it not been for the financial crisis. The interruption was brief, and soaring gas prices pushed nearly-new SUVs into the secondary market even quicker than usual.
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