SUVs = Higher Pedestrian Deaths.

"404 - User No Longer Available" (toni-cipriani)
07/17/2018 at 10:15 • Filed to: SUV, Crossovers

Discuss.

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DISCUSSION (41)

Wacko > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 10:23

alternate title

Their constant looking at their phone screens as they are walking are killing people in the streets, but lets blame it on S UVs

Bo Knows > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 10:23

Could this also be related to pedestrians being more distracted over the last decade? I only skimmed that article so apologies if this is a stupid question

Edit: just found in the article where they mention pedestrian distraction. My bad

Urambo Tauro > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 10:24

Red herring. Vehicle type is irrelevant. Drivers and pedestrians need to pay more attention and respect each other’s right-of-way.

HammerheadFistpunch > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 10:27

SUV’s more efficient tools of natural selection?

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 10:27

This may only be true if SUVs are spending more time driving down sidewalks. But if pedestrians are spending more time walking on roads during an SUV boom then all bets are off.

Then again perhaps they were all cave divers?

jimz > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 10:28

SUVs = Higher Pedestrian Deaths.

I can see it, SUVs definitely hit people higher.

Ash78, voting early and often > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 10:29

Is this an article from 1997? ;)

Slow news day

Nibby > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 10:30

Our love of Mustangs is killing people in the streets

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > jimz
07/17/2018 at 10:36

I don’t suppose we can lobby for lower cars to be exempt from more of the pedestrian safety standards on the grounds of shredded legs and groin being less bad than collapsed torso...

Pedestrian impact requirements are one of the worst styling constraints, IMO.

jimz > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/17/2018 at 10:39

it’s what ruined the Mustang.

LOREM IPSUM > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 10:40

I guess they should gtfo of the way then, ehhhh?

I see one more dipshit wander in front of me whilst staring at their phone...

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > jimz
07/17/2018 at 10:43

I wonder what the cost breakdown would be of forcing “frequent pedestrians” to wear padded vests ? Modest Proposal, basically, but I wonder what the cost of protecting the 5% of pedestrians most at risk would be vs. the regulatory costs across the auto industry. Might have a surprising answer.

Future next gen S2000 owner > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 10:50

I’m going to file this under people and drivers not paying attention. T hey didn’t compare statistics over multiple decades to compare being hit by a car in general.

I’ll bet if you are hit by a semi you are more likely to die over being hit by a truck.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > Urambo Tauro
07/17/2018 at 10:50

To be fair, on collision with a human, most SUVs have a much higher chance of serious injury compared with a sedan or subcompact that’s probably going to put them on the hood instead of smacked directly into the front bumper.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 10:50

I call BS. If you’re getting hit by an SUV or a car, you’re still going to be in bad shape. The vehicle still has the physics advantage in the impact. I’m not seeing how a 1-2k lbs mass difference in the vehicle will make a huge difference in the impact to a human.

Sure, I could see the point of the impact making a difference, but isn’t that the same reason they have to blunt the car noses nowadays? For pedestrian safety. Seems they are making cars closer to what SUVs and trucks already are.

I’d be willing to bet the distractions are the real reason for the spike, on both sides, drivers and pedestrians.

People just need to pay attention in general.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 10:52

Higher hood/ belt line and lower maneuverability, combined with an overall trend of reduced visibility increases the likelihood that even If you manage to see someone, you won’t be able to stop or swerve to avoid. Higher hood lines mean you’re going under the car.

I wonder how much the urbanization trend in the US is contributing. More pedestrians means more pedestrian deaths, especially in areas where the infrastructure isn’t there or the number of people walking has significantly increased over the years .

Urambo Tauro > winterlegacy, here 'till the end
07/17/2018 at 10:57

There’s that, yeah. But th e severity of the collision is irrelevant too, if the collision can be prevented in the first place.

atfsgeoff > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 11:00

While it stands to reason that larger, blunter, slower-to-brake vehicles can more seriously injure pedestrians, some researchers point out that there are other factors to consider before pinning blame solely on SUVs for the spike in pedestrian deaths in the U.S. A majority of those killed were jaywalking, had alcohol in their systems and were on multilane roads at night in urban areas.

Yep, natural selection at work.

Fun, related fact: Mile for mile, you’re more likely to suffer a serious head injury while walking than you are while bicycling. Ergo, pedestrians should all be encouraged to wear helmets similar to cyclists.

Thomas Donohue > Wacko
07/17/2018 at 11:08

Because the people driving the SUV’s are never, ever on their phones. Distraction is a two way street.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > Urambo Tauro
07/17/2018 at 11:14

Very true.

Honestly though any reason to cut down on the SUV craze would be nice

For Sweden > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 11:16

A compulsory buyback program to destroy SUVs and replace them with wagons

404 - User No Longer Available > HammerheadFistpunch
07/17/2018 at 11:17

Why do you think the new Mach 1 is a crossover?

404 - User No Longer Available > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
07/17/2018 at 11:19

I’m not seeing how a 1-2k lbs mass difference in the vehicle will make a huge difference in the impact to a human.

Not severity, but I can see a slight connection to frequency.

Larger mass, harder to stop, more accidents. Top that up with more distracted driving to increase reaction times.

404 - User No Longer Available > Thomas Donohue
07/17/2018 at 11:21

And on top of that... larger vehicles with longer braking distances. Pair with higher reaction times, increased in collision frequency.

Thomas Donohue > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
07/17/2018 at 11:22

Distractions aside ( agreed that everyone needs to pay a ttention, and it’s a hug e problem ), an SUV will have slightly higher stopping distances than a sedan. Even at 20 mph it could be a 3 to 5 foot difference, which is a lot for the pedestrian.

Also, studies show that drivers that sit higher up have a slightly different perception of speed, and will drive faster than someone in a car that is lower to the ground. That will add incrementally to the stopping distance as well.

Lots of factors can offset each other - does an SUV have a better view of the road because it’s slightly higher? Does that sam e S UV have a reduced view of a pedestrian when backing up?

https://isdacenter.org/the-science-of-a-two-vehicle-scenario/

Wacko > Thomas Donohue
07/17/2018 at 11:23

well distracted drivers drive cars, trucks, vans too

The article was targeting SUVs only not the other cars on the road. So I w as playing by the rules of the original author.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Thomas Donohue
07/17/2018 at 11:28

I’ll give you the stopping distance, because that’s basic physics and they are heavier, in general. So yeah that makes sense, that 3-5 feet could mean impact or not, but on the flipside to that, I’d argue that the higher seating position affords a better view and greater ability to see if someone is stepping out between vehicles or something where a car drivers view may be obstructed.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 11:30

The study didn’t seem to mention specifics either, as to where the pedestrians were hit. As in, middle of the street, between obstructions, on the corner...

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 11:34

Also, if all parties are obeying the laws, there should theoretically not be an instance where a car strikes a pedestrian, unless they are crossing on roads that don’t have crosswalks and they misjudge vehicle speeds. Or am I missing something?

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 11:37

SUVs are also more dangerous to their occupants, in addition to killing more people they hit, contrary to the psychological effect riding high gives the drivers of safety/security.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Wacko
07/17/2018 at 11:39

SUV drivers are scientifically proven to do it more often than drivers of everything except bro trucks because they subconsciously (or consciously) believe their cars protect them from consequences of their actions .

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
07/17/2018 at 11:42

Cars maim, SUVs kill. Car hoods are lower so they are less destructive to critical organs in impacts.

gmctavish needs more space > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 11:44

Eh, I think it’s really more like “Drivers and pedestrians getting stupider and running into each other more” and “Most cars on the road are now crossovers”

Tekamul > 404 - User No Longer Available
07/17/2018 at 12:13

Captain Obvious headline.

Can’t steer, can’t stop, can’t see. More mass, and it’s directed more into a pedestrian’s torso rather than legs.

We can set aside the increased likelihood of the owner of a type of vehicle being distrac ted, and just point to physics.

Long-Voyager > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
07/17/2018 at 12:23

Higher seating position affords a better view, negated by GIANT pillars.

Long-Voyager > HammerheadFistpunch
07/17/2018 at 12:25

Pretty sure they don’t kill their drivers in a pedestrian crash?

HammerheadFistpunch > Long-Voyager
07/17/2018 at 12:26

Exactly.

Long-Voyager > HammerheadFistpunch
07/17/2018 at 12:29

Then it’s not really natural selection.

HammerheadFistpunch > Long-Voyager
07/17/2018 at 12:30

I know where you are going, im intentionally not letting it go there.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
07/17/2018 at 12:30

But that is entirely negated by psychological factors that causes SUV drivers to pay less attention to driving than car drivers. SUVs and light trucks are extremely dangerous in the hands of average people. I’ve long advocated for special licensing (minimum age of 25, no prior tickets for reckless driving, no DUIs, etc) , limiting their maximum speed by governor to 55 mph , a ban on driving in any lane where semis are not allowed, a ban on driving in inclement weather and at dusk on public roads, strictly enforced bumper height rules (revocation of license for violations), strictly enforced distracted driving rules (revocation of license for violations), strictly enforced mud flap rules (revocation of license for violations), strictly enforced lighting rules revocation of license for violations), etc. They could have an alternate “farm equipment” exception for very low speed use with suitable markings (reflective red triangle and extensive reflective tape , for example ) for cases where you need to move one on a public road without the correct licensing (say driving between trails or crossing public roads).

The funny thing is that I’d like to own one setup for off road use, but I’d probably tow it to where I’d drive it...

His Stigness > LOREM IPSUM
07/17/2018 at 15:57

If blood didn't stand out on a white car I might have hit people when I was going to school.