New research from the United Kingdom reveals the higher risk of larger vehicles for pedestrians and cyclists.
A new study affirms the increased risk to pedestrians and cyclists posed by larger SUVs. According to an article by Ross Lydall in The Standard, the study from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Imperial College London showed a 44 percent higher risk of death for people on foot or bike hit by “supersized” SUVs. The risk rose to 82 percent for children, and to 130 percent for children under 10.
“This means that pedestrians and cyclists will be struck higher up on their body (e.g. the pelvis not the knees for an adult, or the head not the pelvis for a child),” posing a higher risk of fatal injuries. People struck by large vehicles are also more likely to be thrown forward and struck again by the same car, Lydall adds. “The researchers estimated that the proportion of car crashes involving an SUV to be around 45 per cent in the USA and 20 per cent in Europe.”
In London, road deaths dropped from 102 to 95 between 2022 and 2023, but rose again to 110 in 2024, but Transport for London’s data does not indicate how many deaths were from SUV crashes.
FULL STORY: Supersize' SUV cars much more likely to cause fatal injury to cyclists and pedestrians, say researchers
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