Study: Taller SUVs Cause More Serious Injuries to Cyclists

A new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) reveals that taller SUVs are causing more severe injuries when they hit people on bikes. “The findings follow earlier IIHS research that showed SUVs are more lethal than cars to pedestrians despite design changes that have made them less dangerous to other vehicles.”

According to IIHS Statistician Sam Monfort, “SUVs tend to knock riders down, where they can also be run over, rather than vaulting them onto the hood of the vehicle.” Between 2010 and 2020, the number of bicyclists killed on U.S. roads went up from 621 to 932. “One reason may be the dominance of pickups and SUVs in the U.S. vehicle fleet.” According to an assessment made using the  Abbreviated Injury Scale, “the average scores for head injuries inflicted by SUVs were 63 percent higher than for those caused by cars.”

The results of the study “suggest that SUVs forcefully knock bicyclists to the ground, where they can be run over by the vehicle as the driver attempts to stop. Even when the bicyclist is not run over, SUV crashes are much more likely than car crashes to result in injuries caused by the bicyclist hitting the ground.”