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.
Read the full story: Supersize' SUV cars much more likely to cause fatal injury to cyclists and pedestrians, say researchers
Heavier Vehicles Don’t Keep Passengers Safer
A new study shows that modern safety features are more important than size and weight once vehicles weigh over 4,000 pounds.
Proposed NHTSA Rule Takes Aim at Dangerously Large Trucks and SUVs
Nearly half of pedestrians who died after being hit by the front of a vehicle were struck by SUVs or trucks.
GAO to Investigate How Vehicle Design Impacts Safety
A lax set of rules around vehicle size, height, and other factors is partly responsible for the alarming rise in pedestrian deaths in the United States.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Satanic Place Names
From streams and lakes to valleys and canyons, I mapped more than 1,000 places named after the Devil.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority