Tall vehicle front ends pose deadly problem for pedestrians, research finds

[WedgeX]

The results from the study, to be released Tuesday, of almost 18,000 pedestrian crashes by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety highlight one of the key factors in the dramatic rise in pedestrian deaths in recent years and track with the findings of a Detroit Free Press/USA Today investigation, "Death on Foot, America's Love of SUVs is killing pedestrians," first published in 2018.

"Whatever their nose shape, pickups, SUVs and vans with a hood height greater than 40 inches are about 45% more likely to cause" deaths in pedestrian crashes than other vehicles where the hood height is 30 inches or less and the vehicle has a sloping profile, according to a news release, which noted that "among vehicles with hood heights between 30 and 40 inches, a blunt, or more vertical, front end increases the risk to pedestrians."

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"Manufacturers can make vehicles less dangerous to pedestrians by lowering the front end of the hood and angling the grille and hood to create a sloped profile," IIHS Senior Research Transportation Engineer Wen Hu, the lead author of the study, said in the release. "There's no functional benefit to these massive, blocky fronts."

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Rising numbers of pedestrians deaths have been a particularly troubling trend in the United States in recent years, with almost 7,400 pedestrians killed on or along U.S. roads in 2021, according to federal statistics.

The insurance institute noted such deaths have risen 80% since hitting their low in 2009.

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We're letting trucks and cars kill people.

Tall vehicle front ends pose deadly problem for pedestrians, research finds

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety president points to "aggressive-looking vehicles" as deadly issue for pedestrians.

www.freep.com

Edit:

Adding the infographic from the study that shows how much more dangerous certain types of vehicles are:

Vehicles with higher, more vertical front ends pose greater risk to pedestrians

Vehicles with especially tall front ends are most dangerous to pedestrians, but a blunt profile makes medium-height vehicles deadly too.

www.iihs.org

 

[Squirrel09]

Yeah, but that will never happen to me because I'm the best driver and always follow the laws. So even if I do hit someone it would be on them for not being a law abiding citizen.

/s

 

[Eidan]

I could've sworn we knew this already. I also remember reading how drivers of over-sized SUVs tend to desire hitting people more, though I'm not sure where I saw that.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Yep. This is a proven fact. Lower hoods allow a higher chance of survival because the body has somewhere to go OVER the car if hit. A taller front means the body has nowhere to go but under, vastly increasing the chances of fatal injury.

And yet dumb people feel this insane need to have BIG CAR BIG TRUCK MAKE ME STRONG

 

[EJS]

To the surprise of literally no one.

 

[Orayn]

It should be legal to let their air out of the tires on any parked vehicle with a hood higher than your waist.

Fucking child-murdering truck freaks.

 

[Soda]

All I want is a small, low-profile/low to the ground truck. Closest I can find is a Ford Maverick.

I could've sworn we knew this already. I also remember reading how drivers of over-sized SUVs tend to desire hitting people more, though I'm not sure where I saw that.

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Been discussed and known for a few years at least, I'm pretty sure.

 

[CupOfDoom]

We desperately need better regulations around this because it has gotten out of control.

 

[WedgeX]

I could've sworn we knew this already. I also remember reading how drivers of over-sized SUVs tend to desire hitting people more, though I'm not sure where I saw that.

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As the article cites, USA Today did an investigation finding that deaths seemed to increase when vehicles got larger and that federal regulators knew about the dangers. This is a study by insurers showing that the design of vehicles is definitely responsible for those deaths.

 

[Wrexis]

I could've sworn we knew this already. I also remember reading how drivers of over-sized SUVs tend to desire hitting people more, though I'm not sure where I saw that.

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Sorry did I read this wrong or are you saying drivers of over-sized SUVs want to hit people more?

 

[pioneer]

Yep. This is a proven fact. Lower hoods allow a higher chance of survival because the body has somewhere to go OVER the car if hit. A taller front means the body has nowhere to go but under, vastly increasing the chances of fatal injury.

And yet dumb people feel this insane need to have BIG CAR BIG TRUCK MAKE ME STRONG

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Yep, a friend of mine was hit by a car a couple years back and was told by the medical staff it would have been MUCH worse if he hadn't rolled over the top of the car. I'm terrified of these things, both as a pedestrian and in my Corolla.

 

[Jobiensis]

Trucks have gotten too tall. The bed of a 3/4 to 1 ton 4wd pickup is so damn high that it makes it very difficult to use. I ended up getting rid of my F-250 because it was just too much of a pain in the ass to use the bed. There is no reason a bump from a half ton should increase the ride height like it does. This has changed massively over the last 20 years. There should be regulations on size and visibility.

 

[Volimar]

We spend money on this stuff. Research suggests that starting an avalanche can lead to avalanche deaths.

I mean it's nice that it's on paper I guess, but who is this going to convince that common sense didn't?

 

[Beefsquid]

Yeah there needs to be some kind of regulation on hood height and the viewing space past it. The larger these trucks and SUVs get, the more people will be killed.

In Philly we just had one of the Sixers' players get hit and run. He's 6'7" and got hit the goddamn chest. No car should hit someone that high or not be able to see someone that tall.

 

[turbozan]

:O

 

[Siresly]

Should be obvious to anyone with a head that it's more likely to get bopped by taller and flatter battering rams. So I don't know that the results of this study confirming this will change much. Companies are gonna continue producing what people buy, and vice versa, even if it's more likely to kill people. That's something that's of lesser consideration than whatever people think they need SUVs and trucks for.

 

[Orayn]

It's already basically legal to kill people with a car in the US, we just made the vehicles deadlier.

 

[TeenageFBI]

A guy near me has a pretty big truck that he kitted out. Aside from the ridiculous lighting that makes it look like a goddamned UFO at night, he also raised it by a foot or so. Thing's a death trap.

 

[mrmoose]

I rented a large SUV (Subaru Ascent) and had a hard time initially figuring out how long the front was, let alone seeing anything immediately in front of it. I think the newer models at least have a camera in the front that you can switch on to see but man to even need a camera for that...

 

[Godfather]

Sorry did I read this wrong or are you saying drivers of over-sized SUVs want to hit people more?

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I wouldn't be surprised by this correlation at all. Just seems like the people drawn towards the large trucks would also be the ones with persecution complexes who somehow twist hitting pedestrians into justice of some kind, i.e. driving into crowds of protestors, hitting migrant families at bus stops, etc.

 

[bmdubya]

I could've sworn we knew this already. I also remember reading how drivers of over-sized SUVs tend to desire hitting people more, though I'm not sure where I saw that.

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It has been known for a while, but I think this is the first real study done on it. Before it was all just anecdotal. Even if you see it with your own eyes, people will downplay it until there is legitimate research done on the topic. Also, expect a lot of astroturfing from truck companies over the next few months with this research coming out. You'll see a lot of "pedestrians need to do a better job of watching out for big trucks" arguments popping up online.

 

[OrangeNova]

The giant trucks/SUVs are a curse on society. The big SUVs already have an enormous blind spot, and shit like the jacked up huge front trucks are even worse.

Nobody needs this.

 

[EJS]

Yeah there needs to be some kind of regulation on hood height and the viewing space past it. The larger these trucks and SUVs get, the more people will be killed.

In Philly we just had one of the Sixers' players get hit and run. He's 6'7" and got hit the goddamn chest. No car should hit someone that high or not be able to see someone that tall.

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He was hit by the side mirror of the car.

 

[WedgeX]

We spend money on this stuff. Research suggests that starting an avalanche can lead to avalanche deaths.

I mean it's nice that it's on paper I guess, but who is this going to convince that common sense didn't?

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With the insurers being behind this, it will start to affect settlements, insurance rates, and might come to liability for the manufacturers. And then regulators.

 

[Mr. Poolman]

How is this even legal?

 

[Ouroboros]

YOU CAN'T TAKE AWAY MY FREEDOM!!!!!

 

[GoldenEye 007]

Some of the fronts are so big, they have resorted to putting forward facing cameras in the grill just so you have a chance of seeing someone in front. All just to put in bigger engines so someone can do the weekly grocery haul.

 

[Davidion]

Oh you don't say

 

[Volimar]

With the insurers being behind this, it will start to affect settlements, insurance rates, and might come to liability for the manufacturers. And then regulators.

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My observation remains. We already have the stats and you know, eyes.

 

[maigret]

Great study, if only the Federal government would finally start regulating these death machines!

 

[WedgeX]

Great study, if only the Federal government would finally start regulating these death machines!

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It will take political will to move regulators forward. Which will either happen after an election, or after a high profile tragedy.

 

[MeBecomingI]

I saw a truck the other day at the grocery store that was parked in four stalls with a front end that was literally - and I'm not shitting you - as tall as me and I'm just shy of 6 feet tall. He had larger than usual tires, but otherwise seemed fairly bog standard. Fucking insane.

 

[meowdi gras]

Every year that goes by, our Mazda sedan seems smaller and smaller by comparison. Practically any parking lot we visit anymore, a good 2/3rds or more of the vehicles are SUV's, pickup trucks, and (less frequently) vans. Americans' obsession with size and dubious fear-mongering about child safety in smaller cars are just going to result in increasing carnage on the roads for the foreseeable future.

 

[SanTheSly]

I hate SUVs so much, complete wrong direction cars should be taking in terms of design. People keep buying them and then non-SUV drivers feel more at risk on the road because of how many more hulking monstrosities are alongside them and feel pressured into joining suit.

While we're at it, we should also regulate those piercingly blinding LED headlights, especially on SUVs where they're at basically eye level for non-SUV drivers. Shit is so dangerous.

 

[Mr. Poolman]

Also, the carbon footprint of these monstrosities would be huge!

 

[boontobias]

Coalrolling truck nuts read this and go "good"
SUV obsessed suburban nimbys read this and go "oh dear, well that would never happen to me though"

 

[Terbinator]

Water is wet.

 

[DevilMayGuy]

I wouldn't be surprised by this correlation at all. Just seems like the people drawn towards the large trucks would also be the ones with persecution complexes who somehow twist hitting pedestrians into justice of some kind, i.e. driving into crowds of protestors, hitting migrant families at bus stops, etc.

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Slow it down there, no need for unsourced whacko tales from my ass

No shit big cars with hoods that essentially force pedestrians under the tires are causing more deaths. Bring back the el Camino

 

[Doggg]

Fuck these vehicles. I mean, some people need them, but they're far too common.

 

[tadaima]

Shocked pikachu face

 

[OrangeNova]

Coalrolling truck nuts read this and go "good"
SUV obsessed nimby moms read this and go "oh dear, well that would never happen to me though"

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Actually, the Nimby moms are like "Well that's why we need giant SUVs because it's safer in the event of a colission with these massive trucks!" with them totally missing the point

 

[Divvy]

Fucking hate the proliferation of SUVs. I live in Toronto and there ain't no justification that 2/3s of the vehicles on the road are SUVs.

That being said, much of the onus here is on the manufacturers, since the options to buy a small car have evaporated recently

 

[DarthWoo]

Was just thinking about stuff like this as I noticed the driver ahead of me on the way to work yesterday. Driving a massive Ford Expedition? Check. Alone in the car? Check. On the phone without a hands-free set as I could see the phone in their right hand the whole time as they wildly gesticulated at a person who could obviously not see them? Check. I'm not even confident driving without both hands on the wheel; I can't see how having the other hand fully occupied with another task is at all safe.

 

[nonoriri]

And it will never be fixed because there's no political will to do so.

I had a horrible situation a few weeks ago when a guy on a bike with no reflectors came out of the alley without looking right as I was going through the street. Thankfully, I had slowed and it basically just fucked up his back wheel since the front of my car is so low. If I had been in a bigger car, I could have really fucked that guy up. I'm now so hyper aware of how high the bumpers are on these cars.

 

[Yourfawthaaa]

Happened to me the other day

I needed to make a right turn onto a main road. The f-150 truck to my left (making a left) was so huge & tall, I couldn't see oncoming traffic . I damn near had to inch forward until I was on said road and almost got hit. It's ridiculous.

 

[steejee]

Yep. This is a proven fact. Lower hoods allow a higher chance of survival because the body has somewhere to go OVER the car if hit. A taller front means the body has nowhere to go but under, vastly increasing the chances of fatal injury.

And yet dumb people feel this insane need to have BIG CAR BIG TRUCK MAKE ME STRONG

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I think going into the hood also means vastly reduced chances you'll get knocked backwards and slam your head on the ground. A local doctor was killed this way a few years back - truck hit her at a crosswalk and she slammed into the pavement, causing a brain bleed/hemorrhage/ swelling that led to her death.

The truck was a contractor truck so not quite same situation as people buying big vehicles for funsies, but principle still applies.

 

[nonoriri]

Happened to me the other day

I needed to make a right turn onto a main road. The f-150 truck to my left (making a left) was so huge & tall, I couldn't see oncoming traffic . I damn near had to inch forward until I was on said road and almost got hit. It's ridiculous.

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Two massive F-150s park on both sides of the street where I live so I cannot see either direction of traffic. It's so fucking dangerous. At least ban truck parking from corners or something.

 

[the-pi-guy]

Yep. This is a proven fact. Lower hoods allow a higher chance of survival because the body has somewhere to go OVER the car if hit. A taller front means the body has nowhere to go but under, vastly increasing the chances of fatal injury.

And yet dumb people feel this insane need to have BIG CAR BIG TRUCK MAKE ME STRONG

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Lower hoods also allow better visibility.

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From what I recall, the driver was only able to see the last kid.

 

[PlayBee]

Did the research involve looking at the vehicles and then at pedestrians?

 

[h0tp0ck3t]

I love driving in front of these at night so their headlights shine directly into all my mirrors and I can't see shit.
also had someone in the drive up atm that couldn't even reach the fucking machine and was too close to the wall to get out.