Drivers of large vehicles, like full-size pickup truck and SUV models, for example, are much more likely to hit pedestrians than those in smaller vehicles, according to a recent study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The study, titled ‘The association between pedestrian crash types and passenger vehicle types,’ analyzed single-vehicle, single-pedestrian crashes from two separate data sets: North Carolina state crash data and the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), which is a national census of fatal road crashes.
Between the years of 2010 and 2018 in North Carolina, state police recorded 5,505 single-passenger-vehicle, single-pedestrian crashes at intersections and 7,628 at non-intersection locations. Among vehicles involved in these crashes, 55.9 percent were cars, 22.7 percent were SUV models, 14.3 percent were pickups, and 7.2 percent were minivans and large vans. In other words, 44.1 percent of crashes were so-called “light-truck vehicles,” or LTVs.
Many current GM vehicles, like the Buick Encore GX, feature automatic pedestrian braking.
The IIHS had similar findings from the FARS data, which recorded 5,797 fatal single-passenger-vehicle, single-pedestrian crashes at intersections or intersection-related locations, and 14,148 at non-intersection locations. Of these, almost half (47.3 percent) of passenger vehicles involved were cars, while 26.2 percent were SUV models, 19.8 percent were pickups, and 6.7 percent were minivans and large vans, meaning 52.7% were LTVs.
However, researchers examined how larger vehicles were involved in fatal crashes at or near intersections, and at other locations. They found that crashes killing a pedestrian during left-turn maneuvers were roughly twice as high for an SUV, almost three times as high for vans and minivans, and nearly four times as high for pickup trucks compared to passenger cars. During right-turn maneuvers, a crash killing a pedestrian was 89 percent higher for pickups and 63 percent higher for SUVs than for cars.
In pedestrian crashes of all severities, pickups were 42 percent more likely to hit pedestrians than passenger cars, and SUVs were 23 percent more likely as well. Even away from intersections, pickup trucks were 80 percent more likely to hit a pedestrian, SUVs were 61 percent more likely, and vans were 45 percent more likely, all compared to passenger cars.
“Larger passenger vehicles such as pickups and SUVs were more likely to be involved in crashes where vehicles were turning at or near intersections, and in crashes where pedestrians were standing, walking, or running on or near the edge of a travel lane at non-intersection locations,” the study indicates. “The findings can be used to help identify the characteristics of larger passenger vehicles that are associated with increased crash risks to pedestrians.”
“For those crashes in which increased odds were associated with larger passenger vehicles, pedestrians were likely near the left or right front corners of the vehicles within A-pillar blind zones prior to crashes, as opposed to directly in front of the vehicles,” the study also found.
IIHS Senior Transportation Engineer Wen Hu says automakers can improve visibility in their large vehicles, such as SUV, van and pickup truck models, to make them safer. States and municipalities can also reduce speed limits in dense urban areas to improve pedestrian safety.
“Improving vehicle design, along with addressing road infrastructure and vehicle speeds, can play an important part in reducing pedestrian crashes and fatalities,” Hu said. “Our findings suggest that looking at the problem through the lens of vehicle type could also be productive.”
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Comments
More would not get hit if they were not texting and walking.
That only explains half of it.
A bigger heavier vehicle takes longer to stop. Simple physics.
The large new SUV/Trucks are much more dangerous than the trucks/SUVs of 20 years ago.
Actually, these new trucks/SUVs are actually a bit lighter than the versions from 20 years ago. They have significantly more safety systems available. They all stop significantly better and perform significantly better. Reality is that in every metrics, the newer vehicle is better than the 20 year old vehicle you preach about.
Just stop all your hate and come out from under that rock you hide under.
The one area that has gotten significantly worse is people walking around with their eyes glued to their phone. Just have to realize we can’t fix stupid.
I agree the idiots on their phones driving is ridiculous.
Excuse.
More would not get hit if they were not texting and DRIVING or blathering away to the passenger or eating, or stopping at stop signs and stop lights or driving otherwise like an a-hole.
Plus you have more and more municipalities giving the pedestrian the right of way where there are non signaled crosswalks. This completely ignores physics. A 5000 lb vehicle cannot instantly stop when a pedestrian steps out into the street.
Is this so the dead kids family can sue the evil truck driving planet killer? When government passes senseless laws, you have to wonder what the real goal is.
driving in a downtown or crowded city street is the most frustrating experience. Pedestrians are J-Walking everywhere, forget a large vehicle, I refuse to drive in downtown areas even if it was a 2 door car.
And the solution is to just make these monstrosities bigger and bigger.
Yep, consumer demand drives that. People want vehicles that actually work for them, not just “people movers”. Deal with it ! Ask any dealer what sells better.
I see pickup and SUV drivers generally drive more aggressively than sedan drivers. They are higher and have a better perspective ahead, but lack ability to stop on a dime like a sedan or turn and maneuver like a sedan also. I can’t count how many aggressive women drivers are behind the wheel of a pickup…it’s a plague. The vast majority of them are the bleach blonde ones and half the time I simultaneously see them either eating or texting or having a dog hanging out the driver side window on their lap. If it’s not the pickup, it’s the same with the SUV. Tailgating like they are going to save time getting 2 seconds ahead by weaving in and out and pushing me to the right only to see the mile long line of rush hour cars ahead of them. The accidents are not accidents, they are crashes. Accidents are like falling on ice, you don’t see them coming. These types of crashes you can see coming way ahead. SLOW THE F down and stay back from my ass unless you’re married to me.
Ah free news , take it for what it is worth and read between the lines , then you might get some sense out of it . YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR ” SOMETIMES “.
i have a 2018 silverado and making left turns at intersections you can not see when turning because of the wide A pillar. i have had several close calls with pedestrians who think they have the right away and just to keep walking and not worry about the driver.
The obvious solution to this calamity is we all drive a Prius………
Fake statistic ! SUv’s and Pick-ups are the most numerous vehicles on the roads. Dumb Government at it again !
The one thing I learned in Statistics in College, was that Statistics is the science of lying. Statistics can be spun to make numbers say whatever you want.
These studies are both good examples of using numbers to get the result you want. In both studies, one critical number was left out, the total number of cars, trucks, & SUV’s on the roads. There are far more trucks and SUV’s on the road today, than cars. Cadillac sells more XT5’s in a year, than CT4, CT5, & CT6’s combined, and almost as many Escalades as cars. Chevrolet sells twice as many Silverado 1500’s, than all their car lines combined. SUV’s (both small or large) also far out sell cars today, and are an ever growing percentage of the vehicles on the road.
Looking at the North Carolina study, without knowing the number of cars registered in the state, verse the number of trucks and SUV’s, makes the study worthless. The same is true for the “FARS” study.
To me this sounds like more slanted studies by government agencies, designed to get the result they wanted….getting people out of trucks and SUV’s.
yep. wonder what rocket scientist came up with this. and in the 80’s it would of been minivans.
I have often wondered why the fenders and hoods of most late model pickups are so high at the leading edge. This appears to reduce the forward vertical sightline. Are they high for styling purposes or is there some mechanical reason? I predict we’re going to see styling changes soon.
Also discovered in the same study:
Water is wet