The bigger the SUV, the higher the risk of death in a crash with a pedestrian – Liberation

As impressive as they are polluters, SUVs are regularly singled out for their impact on the climate. Paris is subject to a vote on Sunday February 4 to increase their parking prices. But these steel monsters also stand out for their danger to pedestrians.

According to an American study published on January 19 on the academic journal platform Science Direct, the risk of pedestrian death in a car collision increases as the size of the car increases.

The boom in pick-ups and SUVs has coincided with pedestrian deaths

Covering a sample of 3,400 road accidents in the United States between 2016 and 2021, according to data collected by economics researcher Justin Tyndall of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, 308 resulted in deaths involving a pedestrian. By comparing the size and weight of the cars involved, and in particular the height of their front bumpers, a correlation arises between these elements. “A 10-centimeter increase in vehicle frontal height is associated with a 22% increase in the risk of death,” Justin Tyndall notes. On the contrary, “Limiting the frontal height of vehicles to 1.25 meters would reduce the number of pedestrian deaths in the United States by 509 per year.”

In the United States, the number of pedestrians killed in traffic accidents has increased by 72% between 2010 and 2021. The data challenged the researcher, when he noted that during the same period the number of driver deaths decreased and that size of American vehicles increased greatly. The figures coincide with increases in sales and rentals of pickups and SUVs, which have gained popularity in recent years.

The data is ambiguous: the probability of pedestrian deaths varies from one type of vehicle to another. In its sample of 3,400 reported crashes, pedestrians struck by cars and compact SUVs died in 8.5% and 8.8% of cases, respectively. This probability decreases when a van (6.6%) arrives. On the other hand, accidents involving pick-ups – another ultra-large and ultra-polluting vehicle – or large SUVs have higher fatality rates, at 11.9% and 12.4%.

“Vehicle preferences differ sharply by gender”.

By isolating it from other factors (specifically the pedestrian’s speed and age), the researcher calculated that the risk of a pedestrian dying due to a vehicle impact is 63% higher with a compact SUV than with a sedan, figure. That rises to 68% for pick-ups and 99% with larger SUVs.

According to studies, men are behind the wheel in 69% of accidents across all types of vehicles. But when it comes to pick-ups, this figure rises to 89%. This “The Great Distance” It indicates “Vehicle preferences differ sharply by gender”, Justin Tyndall writes. While it is noted that there is a difference in the mortality rate depending on the size of the vehicle “Different driving behaviors by gender may also be attributed”

. As for pedestrians, it is women, children and the elderly who are most at risk from large vehicles.

Unfortunately, the trend is not towards downsizing cars. According to Justin Tyndall, new vehicles are getting bigger and bigger in the vehicle fleet, which “Pedestrian fatalities likely to increase”, “unless regulatory changes are made to vehicle design standards”..