On the heels of research showing that SUV design is leading to more pedestrian deaths, another IIHS study shows a higher rate of serious injuries for cyclists hit by taller vehicles.
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.”
FULL STORY: Higher point of impact makes SUV crashes more dangerous for cyclists
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.
Tall Vehicles: Unsafe at Any Speed
Vehicles with taller front-end designs are more likely to injure pedestrians even when traveling at lower speeds.
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.
Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.
Nevada Legislature Unanimously Passes Regional Rail Bill
If signed by the governor, the bill will create a task force aimed at developing a regional passenger rail system.
How Infrastructure Shapes Public Trust
A city engineer argues that planners must go beyond code compliance to ensure public infrastructure is truly accessible to all users.
Photos: In Over a Dozen Cities, Housing Activists Connect HUD Cuts and Local Issues
We share images from six of the cities around the country where members of three national organizing networks took action on May 20 to protest cuts to federal housing funding and lift up local solutions.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada