Heavier Vehicles Don’t Keep Passengers Safer

The “bigger is safer” argument for large trucks and SUVs has reached a plateau, according to an analysis from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which reveals that vehicles over 4,000 pounds don’t offer any significant safety benefits over lighter vehicles. For context, the average American car weighs 4,100 pounds, notes Kea Wilson in Streetsblog USA.

Although vehicle size and weight did, for a while, make a difference for safety, Wilson explains, “advances in other vehicle safety strategies like better front-end design and automatic emergency braking have increased the "crash compatibility" of average-sized vehicles, making the occupants of those cars more likely to survive being hit by the driver of a monster truck — though not necessarily sparing the lives of people outside cars when those drivers strike them.”

Meanwhile, safety continues to decrease for pedestrians and other people outside of the vehicles as vehicles get larger. Taller vehicles are more likely to strike people in the head or vital organs, while large cars and front ends can also obscure drivers’ visibility and perception of speed.

While Wilson acknowledges that “ regulators under President Trump are unlikely to mandate new safety updates to protect vulnerable road users,” many automakers are already voluntarily implementing changes, but pedestrian safety doesn’t always rank at the top of the upgrades list.