A 2015 NHTSA report showed that pedestrians were multiple times more likely to die if struck by SUVs, but that information was neither shared nor acted upon.
The United States has seen a rapid rise in pedestrian deaths, and reporting shows officials at the NHTSA were not forthcoming with key information on one of the causes. "A Detroit Free Press/USA TODAY NETWORK investigation found that the SUV revolution is a key, leading cause of escalating pedestrian deaths nationwide, which are up 46 percent since 2009," Eric D. Lawrence, Nathan Bomey, and Kristi Tanner report for the Detroit Free Press and USA Today. Safety regulators have been aware of this since at least 2015, but didn't move to mitigate this danger or publicize this finding.
In Europe, cars are rated by how dangerous they are for pedestrians, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had announced plans to release similar safety ratings, but that has yet to happen. In the meantime SUV sales have continued to climb, surpassing traditional sedans this year.
People are two to three times more likely to die when hit by tall SUVs than they are when they're hit by typical sedans, the NHTSA found when looking at 12 independent studies. Higher fronts on SUVs mean pedestrians are more likely to go under the wheels of SUVs than they are if they're struck by sedans which have lower bumpers. Pedestrians that are thrown onto the hood of a car are more likely to survive.
FULL STORY: Federal Safety Officials Knew SUV Design Kills Pedestrians and Didn’t Act
For Transportation Justice, Auto Safety Must Protect People Outside the Car
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Big Cities Make Pedestrian Safety a Priority
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
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Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
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Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
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MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
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