Study: More SUVs Lead to More Pedestrian Deaths

"According to a recent study published in Economics of Transportation, as the number of SUVs on the street tripled from 2000 to 2019, pedestrian deaths surged nationwide by 30 percent," reports Christopher Robbins. "In 2020, SUVs and 'crossovers' accounted for 50 percent of automobile purchases; 20 percent of new vehicles bought were pickup trucks." Justin Tyndall, the study's author, wrote in a tweet: "In the paper, I use the value of a statistical life and recommend a schedule of taxes to address the external safety risks imposed by large vehicles in the US. The external cost of driving a light truck rather than a car on pedestrian death risk alone is ~$100 per year."

Larger vehicles "are deadlier for pedestrians because they weigh more and have poor visibility," Robbins writes. "According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, drivers behind the wheel of these heavier vehicles are two to three times more likely to kill a pedestrian in a collision." 

Justin Tyndall, the study's author, says "[g]iven strict federal regulation of vehicle-safety standards, it is perhaps surprising that there is limited legislation that restricts the overall size and body type of vehicles with the intent of improving pedestrian safety."