Pedestrians and Cyclists at Significant Risk
Pedestrians and cyclists hit by an SUV, van or pickup truck are significantly more likely to die than those hit by a sedan. Vehicle size and weight have long been recognized as some of the primary determinants of injury severity in crashes involving pedestrians. In recent years in the U.S., the proportion of all road deaths of people outside the vehicle has risen. Vehicles are getting better at protecting their occupants, but are bigger, heavier and therefore more dangerous to everybody else not surrounded by metal and airbags.
The exact amount of increase in risk for pedestrians has varied among numerous well-designed studies, but what they all have in common is a significantly greater likelihood of death when compared to being hit by smaller passenger cars:
● A meta-analysis – research that pools together data from multiple independent studies in order to determine the overall trend – by Desapriya et al. (2010) found pedestrians are 50% more likely to die when struck by an SUV or pickup truck than when struck by a passenger car.
● In Illinois, a 2022 study found SUVs were involved in just under 15% of crashes with pedestrians and cyclists but accounted for 25% of fatalities. Adults hit by pickup trucks were four times more likely to die than those hit by smaller cars.
● After examining crashes between 2000 and 2019 – when registered vehicles classified as SUVs increased threefold, those classified as cars fell by a third and pedestrian deaths rose 30% – Tyndall (2021) estimated that if all light trucks were replaced with cars, over 2000 pedestrian deaths could have been avoided during that period.
For more studies detailing how light trucks specifically endanger vulnerable road users, read the full Massive Hazards report.
What Can Be Done?
Vehicles must meet a wide range of safety standards to be sold in the United States and to receive a top crash-test rating, but those standards have the safety of people inside the vehicles in mind and not the people walking and biking around them.
● The Federal government could research and consider other additions to the New Car Assessment Program – the star rating you see whenever a vehicle is for sale. Testing standards could prioritize smaller, more vulnerable road users by making it impossible to earn five stars without meeting certain pedestrian crash prevention or mitigation standards.
● As innovative safety technologies available in new vehicles continue to expand, their evaluation should be based on their ability to sense and protect people outside vehicles in all weather and lighting conditions.
● In September 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard to test for the risk of pedestrian head-to-hood injuries in crashes, but it did not go as far as proposing regulations on hood height. Tyndall (2024) estimated that if hoods were limited to no more than 1.25 meters tall, more than 500 pedestrian lives could be saved in the U.S. every year.
● The Federal government could also create a front visibility standard for light trucks to ensure excessively large blind spots from hoods and A-pillars don’t prevent drivers from seeing pedestrians and cyclists.
For more recommendations, read the full Massive Hazards report.