It’s dangerous enough being behind the wheel but it is also increasingly dangerous to be a pedestrian.
A recent report from the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA) shows pedestrian deaths from encounters with vehicles in 2022 rose to 7,508, the most since 1981. And a new report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) suggests some vehicles are more dangerous to pedestrians than others.
The researchers found that vehicles with very high front ends are most dangerous to pedestrians while even median-height vehicles are dangerous if they are designed with a blunt front end.
Specifically, pickup trucks, SUVs and vans with a hood height greater than 40 inches are about 45 percent more likely to cause fatalities in pedestrian crashes than cars and other vehicles with a hood height of 30 inches or less and a sloping profile. The researchers based their conclusions on an analysis of nearly 18,000 accidents involving pedestrians.
When vehicles had hood heights between 30 and 40 inches, a blunt, or more vertical, front end also increased the risk to pedestrians.
‘Pretty intimidating’
“Some of today’s vehicles are pretty intimidating when you’re passing in front of them in a crosswalk,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “These results tell us our instincts are correct: More aggressive-looking vehicles can indeed do more harm.”
IIHS says pedestrian crash deaths have risen 80% since hitting their low in 2009. The statistics show that 2021 was almost as deadly to people on foot as last year. Nearly 7,400 walkers — more than 20 people a day — lost their lives in 2021 after being struck by a vehicle.
There are likely other factors contributing to pedestrian deaths, including speeding and poorly designed infrastructure. But IIHS says there appears to be a strong connection with vehicle design, as SUVs and pickups have increased in size.
IIHS has stats on that as well. It says that since the early 1990s, the average U.S. passenger vehicle has gotten about four inches wider, 10 inches longer, 8 inches taller and 1,000 pounds heavier.
Many vehicles are more than 40 inches tall at the leading edge of the hood. On some large pickups, the hoods are almost at eye level for many adults.
“Manufacturers can make vehicles less dangerous to pedestrians by lowering the front end of the hood and angling the grille and hood to create a sloped profile,” said IIHS Senior Research Transportation Engineer Wen Hu, the lead author of the study. “There’s no functional benefit to these massive, blocky fronts.”
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2023-11-27 11:45:02