Key Takeaways
- Bigger cars, bigger danger. 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.
- Regulations and repercussions. 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.
The rise of cellphone surfers has nothing to do with these statistics?
Europe has cell phones but smaller cars and hasn’t seen this increase.
It’s actually pretty easy to tell that its the cars, not the phones. The fatality statistics all record the vehicle involved, so you can use the rates with smaller/older cars to adjust for any changes in infrastructure or phone usage.
That issue would be less dangerous with smaller cars.
It does, and other studies have shown that cellphones are the primary cause, regardless of vehicle size.
But despite that, vehicles are far too large to be safe.
…driver cellphones? Lol
I just saw one that said the opposite