Have you seen vehicles out on the roads these days? Pretty big, huh?
“In 2009, pickup trucks, SUVs and vans accounted for 47% of all U.S. new vehicle sales, according to Motorintelligence.com. Last year[2022], light trucks were more than three-quarters of new vehicle sales.“
Worse fuel economy, and also more dangerous for everyone! Especially pedestrians. Cool. Keep it up, the Big 3.
“The research released Thursday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety points to the increasing popularity of larger vehicles as a possible factor in rising pedestrian deaths on U.S. roads, which are up 59% since 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.”
The North Carolina statistics showed that pickups were 42% more likely than cars to hit pedestrians while making left turns. SUVs were 23% more likely to hit people than cars. There was no significant difference in the odds of a right turn crash for the different types of vehicles, the study showed.
Outside of intersections, pickups were 80% more likely than cars to hit a pedestrian along the road. SUVs were 61% more likely, and minivans were 45% more likely to hit people than cars, IIHS said.
This is in part to the hood heights growing and thus visability in front of trucks. Which are so unsafe, they come with cameras setup so the driver can see the car in front of them at an intersection!
“The magazine and website found that pickup truck hood heights have risen 11% since 2000. The hood of a 2017 Ford F-250 heavy-duty pickup was 55 inches off the ground, as tall as the roofs of some cars, Stockburger said.”
SUVs, pickup trucks more likely to hit pedestrians than cars, study finds, by Tom Krisher https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2022/03/17/suvs-pickups-pedestrian-fatalities-rise/7075333001/
