SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks remain some of the most popular styles of vehicles for Americans to drive, but their large build and high front-end heights are contributing to hundreds of pedestrian deaths every year, new research suggests.
A recent study published in Economics of Transportation found direct evidence of front-end vehicle heights posing a danger to pedestrians in potential crashes. The study claims that for every 10-centimeter increase in the height of a vehicle's front end, there is a 22% increase in fatality risks for pedestrians as it increases the likelihood a person will be hit in the chest or head.
Justin Tyndall, a researcher with the University of Hawai'i Economic Research Organization and author of the study, told TechTimes that this risk drastically increases to 80% when the pedestrian is a child.
"Since 2000, more than 110,000 US pedestrians have been killed in vehicle crashes, and the rate has risen dramatically in recent years," Tyndall said in an interview. "It is an understudied public health crisis."
He explained that as the number of pedestrian deaths has increased in recent years, vehicle design has also shifted. Tyndall estimated that around 80% of new vehicles sold or leased in the United States are light trucks - including vans, SUVs, and pickups - compared to smaller cars.
Byron Bloch, an independent auto safety expert from Potomac, Maryland, has blasted the design change, claiming automakers no longer prioritize the driver's and others' safety on the road.
"It's a life and death battle, frankly," Bloch told TechTimes in an interview. "It is disgraceful how too many automakers proceed with designs that reduce the driver's ability to see pedestrians on the road."
He said that higher front-end vehicles also prevent drivers from seeing children in driveways or individuals stepping off a curb at an intersection. "These are vision impairments that never should be put into any vehicles designed," Bloch said.
Bloch accused the automotive industry of knowingly making these design changes for further profit, criticizing the installation of motion cameras at the front and back of modern vehicles.
"That's not as good as having proper visibility or vision capability from the driver in the first place," he said. "I would actually term it disgraceful, and the industry absolutely knows better."
In his study, Tyndall estimated that capping front-end vehicle heights at 1.25 meters - just over 4 feet tall - could reduce annual pedestrian deaths nationwide by 509. Reducing the limit even further to 1.2 meters could save around 757 pedestrian lives, while a cap of 1.1 meters would reduce pedestrian deaths by 1,350.
In light of the recent study, promoters of auto safety have said that the time has come for vehicle design to change and make safety a top priority once again.
"Sadly, in the last decade, we have been losing nearly 7,000 pedestrians, bicyclists, and other non-vehicle-occupants every year, with an increase in recent years," Cathy Chase, the president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, told TechTimes, calling on Congress and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to expedite the improvements needed to secure safety for those inside and outside the vehicle.
Not only does the organization support lowering front-end vehicle heights, but Chase emphasized the increased integration of automatic emergency braking and speed safety cameras as additional efforts to curb pedestrian deaths. Additionally, she said that vehicle design should include external airbags, active hoods, and testing for potential pedestrian collisions.
Despite the push and new findings, experts have indicated little change will happen due to profit incentives in the automotive industry as well as historic delays and red tape on a federal level. Bloch estimated that it may take anywhere from 15 to 30 years to see regulatory change.
However, action can be taken individually to help lower the risk of pedestrian deaths, such as driving smaller vehicles.
Bloch explained that when drivers go to a dealership to purchase or lease a new vehicle, one of the first things they should do is get in the driver's seat to test the visibility.
He recommended asking to have the shortest person working at the dealership, or someone's child, standing five to 10 feet in front of the vehicle.
"If we can see them, then we'll keep considering this vehicle. But if they disappear and we can't see them, that means we could kill our own kid in the driveway or if a pedestrian is stepping off a curb or is in a crosswalk," Bloch said.
If more individuals reject vehicles that provide such poor visibility, Bloch said the public pressure will hopefully get back to the automakers and committees behind these designs.
"We pride ourselves in America as being leaders in so many areas - and we are in so many areas," he said. "When it comes to vehicle safety, sadly, in many areas, we lag behind."
About the author: Callie Patteson is a freelance journalist based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and New Hampshire. She is studying to receive her Erasmus Mundus master's in political communication and data journalism at the University of Amsterdam. Previously, she worked as a national politics reporter for the New York Post and an Associate Breaking News Editor for the Washington Examiner. Find her online at https://calliepatteson.squarespace.com/
