When pedestrians and cars collide, the pedestrian nearly always loses but there are safety measures that can help minimize the harm to those struck down by cars and the light trucks that get to ignore some of the safety measures that are mandatory for cars.
“We have a crisis of roadway deaths, and it’s even worse among vulnerable road users like pedestrians. Between 2013 and 2022, pedestrian fatalities increased 57% from 4,779 to 7,522," said Sophie Shulman, deputy administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
NHTSA is proposed a new rule that would require cars and light trucks -- SUVs and pickups -- designed to provide better protection to pedestrians and passengers.
The rule would apply to passenger vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less, including multipurpose passenger vehicles (trucks, SUVs, crossovers and vans).
Heavy toll on pedestrians
The popularity of hulking SUVs and other light trucks has taken a heavy toll on adults and children. Data show that fatalities of pedestrians struck by the front of a vehicle are most common for multipurpose passenger vehicles (49%) followed by passenger cars (37%) in 2022.
The proposed standard would establish test procedures simulating a head-to-hood impact and performance requirements to minimize the risk of head injury. NHTSA estimates the new standard would save 67 lives a year.
The test procedures also include the use of human-like headforms to measure the head-to-hood impact. The headforms NHTSA proposes to use in testing the new standard represent a diverse range of pedestrians, from a small child to an adult.
Pickups and large SUVs -- many of the size of small buildings -- would be required to provide the same level of protection as a passenger car. Since those larger vehicles represent nearly a quarter of U.S. vehicle sales, the impact on deaths and injuries could be major.
Single-vehicle crashes
It's worth noting that nearly all pedestrian fatalities -- 88% -- occur in single-vehicle crashes. They're not caused by pedestrians walking into each other or colliding with street posts or other immovable objects. They're caused by cars and trucks running into pedestrians.
Safety experts say the higher height of SUVs and pickups can make pedestrians invisible to drivers perched in what marketers call the "command seating position" of an oversized vehicle. The greater height of such vehicles also heightens the likelihood of serious head injuries; a passenger car is more likely to strike the pedestrian's legs while a larger vehicle has a higher impact, often contacting the head initially.
NHTSA will be accepting public comment on the proposed rule for 60 days. More information on the rulemaking process is available here. Read more about the Department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy here.