Unlike Smaller Cars, 'Megacars' Drove More in 2020

The increase in miles driven by light trucks and other 'megacars' could have contributed to the rise in traffic deaths, despite an overall reduction in VMT.

2 minute read

February 11, 2022, 6:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Large pickup trucks are parked in neat rows extending into the fuzzy background of the image.

BoJack / Shutterstock

"According to estimates from the Federal Highway Administration, vehicles classified as “light truck, long wheelbase” — a category which includes many of America’s most popular pick-up trucks, or any car with at least 121 inches between its axles — were driven about 1.5 billion miles more during the year that much of the country fell under quarantine orders than they were the year before, an increase of about one percent." Smaller cars, by contrast, traveled 16 percent fewer miles in 2020 than in 2019. The implications for public health are severe, writes Kea Wilson for Streetsblog.

The rising popularity of both SUVs and light trucks has long been recognized as a significant factor in the nation’s rising pedestrian death rate, which surged 21 percent between 2019 and 2020, the largest annual increase ever recorded by federal agencies; light trucks of all lengths are two to three times more likely to kill a walker in the event of a crash, because of their weight, height, and front-end design.

The article outlines a variety of possible reasons for the discrepancy, including the use of bigger vehicles by workers who can't telecommute and the correlation of large vehicles with right-leaning voters. But Wilson argues "Whatever the reason why so many megacar drivers took to the road in 2020, there’s no doubt that those motorists posed an outsized danger to vulnerable road users — and that something must be done about it."

Monday, February 7, 2022 in Streetsblog USA

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

July 14 - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14 - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

July 14 - Los Angeles Public Press