Large vehicles and small pedestrians are a dangerous combination. The high hood height of many light trucks creates a front blind zone that can make children disappear from the driver’s view altogether – and drivers can’t avoid what they cannot see. In fact, some full-sized pickup trucks can have a blind zone 11 feet longer than a sedan, and certain models of light trucks on the market obscure the view of children in marked crosswalks from drivers who are stopped at stop signs. In addition to visual obstruction, the larger size of light trucks means they tend to hit children higher up on their bodies, increasing the risk that a collision will cause a catastrophic head or chest injury.

Analysis of over 18,000 crash records determined school-age children (5 to 19 years old) struck by light trucks were more than twice as likely to die as those struck by passenger cars. The difference was even greater for the younger set (ages 5 to 9), whose fatality risk is four times greater from SUVs and pickup trucks than from passenger cars.

In Illinois, crash analysis found that children struck by SUVs were eight times more likely to be killed than children struck by smaller cars, and while SUVs were involved in more than 40% of child pedestrian and cyclist deaths, they comprised only about 17% of total collisions.

An increase in hood height of 10 centimeters increased the odds of a child pedestrian dying in a collision by 81% – roughly four times the effect on adults.

What Can Be Done?

● The Federal government could create and implement a forward visibility standard for light trucks modeled after the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007, which addressed visibility behind a vehicle.

● Government crash testing standards should take into account visibility from the driver’s seat and make it impossible to earn five stars if a vehicle’s size and hood height cause unreasonable obstructions that endanger smaller pedestrians.

For more recommendations, read the full Massive Hazards report.