SUVs and pickups more likely to hit walkers than drivers, study finds

According to a new study, drivers of larger vehicles, such as vans and SUVs, are more likely to hit pedestrians while making turns than drivers of cars.

Research released Thursday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety points to the growing popularity of larger vehicles as a possible factor in the increase in road deaths on U.S. roads. The authors also questioned whether the wider pillars that support the roofs of larger vehicles make it difficult for drivers to spot people walking near the corners of vehicles.

“The link between these types of vehicles and certain common pedestrian accidents points to another way in which the rise of SUVs on the roads could be changing the image of the accident,” said Jessica Cicchino, author of the study. and vice president of research at the institute.

Blind spots

Although the study mentioned previous research showing blind spots caused by the “A-pillars” between the windshield and the cab, the authors said more study was needed to link blind spots to increased deaths.

In 2020, the last year for which full statistics are available, 6,519 pedestrians were killed in the U.S., according to government data. This is an increase of 59% since 2009 and an increase of 4% since 2019, said the National Administration of Traffic Safety.

Over the same period of time, sales of SUVs and trucks have skyrocketed. In 2009, pickup trucks, SUVs, and vans accounted for 47% of all new vehicle sales in the United States, according to Motorintelligence.com. Last year, light trucks accounted for more than three-quarters of new vehicle sales.

However, not all SUVs and vans have blind spots. Compact SUVs, for example, are now the largest part of the US market.

The study also found that larger vehicles were more likely than cars to be involved in crashes where pedestrians were standing, walking or running near the side of the road and away from intersections.

Accident statistics

Investigators studied the federal statistics of accidents in which pedestrians died, as well as all pedestrian crashes reported to police in North Carolina from 2010 to 2018.

North Carolina statistics showed that vans were 42% more likely than cars to hit pedestrians as they turned left. SUVs were 23% more likely to hit people than cars. The study showed that there was no significant difference in the probabilities of a right-turn collision for different types of vehicles.

Outside the intersections, vans were 80% more likely than cars to run over a pedestrian on the road. SUVs were 61 percent more likely and minivans were 45 percent more likely to hit people than cars, IIHS said.

Trucks, SUVs and vans tend to have thicker “A-pillars” than cars due to federal roof strength standards to prevent collapse in rollover accidents, the IIHS said. The pillars are usually wider because they have to support the higher weights of larger vehicles.

And pillars aren’t the only ones that create blind spots in larger vehicles. Consumer Reports found last year that high hoods also obstructed the views of pedestrian drivers crossing in front of vehicles.

“To see above that high hood, you’ll look below,” said Jennifer Stockburger, chief operating officer of Consumer Reports’ car testing center.

Truck hood heights are getting bigger and bigger

The magazine and website found that the height of the van hood has increased by 11% since 2000. The hood of a 2017 Ford F-250 van was 55 inches off the ground, so high like the roofs of some cars, Stockburger said.

Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, which sell most of the big SUVs and vans in the US, declined to comment on the study. Messages were left to solicit feedback from Auto Innovators, an industry trade group.

Automakers could use stronger metals to reduce A-pillars and increase visibility, said Wen Hu, a senior IIHS transportation engineer and another study author. “These bigger vehicles need stronger pillars, we all understand that,” he said. “Increasing the size of Pillar A is not the only way to increase strength.”

The IIHS, which is funded by car insurance companies, is studying vehicle safety.

Stockburger said the industry could also examine lines of sight for larger vehicles, as well as add automatic emergency braking systems that detect pedestrians.

Most car manufacturers have promised to manufacture standard automatic emergency braking equipment on almost all of their new models in September this year. In addition, federal safety regulators propose that systems be mandatory on all new vehicles.