This comes as no surprise whatsoever, given past studies showing that SUVs are more dangerous to pedestrians than cars, but a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) confirms that the larger the vehicle, the more pedestrians are at risk of dying in certain types of incidents.
By large vehicles, we’re talking of course about SUVs, vans and pickup trucks.
In this latest study, the IIHS looked at the most common types of vehicle-pedestrian collisions: those that occur at or near intersections. It then examined the consequences of three types of vehicles being involved in these collisions compared to cars.
According to the compiled results, the odds of a pedestrian fatality at intersections involving a left turn are about twice as high when SUVs are involved as when cars are, nearly three times as high for vans, and nearly four times as high for pickup trucks. The study factors in the proportion of each vehicle type currently in circulation in calculating its data.
When it comes to right turns, fatality rates are 89 percent higher for pickups and 63 percent higher for SUVs than for cars.
“It's possible that the size, shape or location of the A-pillars that support the roof on either side of the windshield could make it harder for drivers of these larger vehicles to see crossing pedestrians when they are turning,” explained IIHS Senior Transportation Engineer Wen Hu.
Browse cars for sale available near you
It is important to note that incidents involving vehicle turning at intersections accounted for more than 900 of the approximately 5,800 pedestrian fatalities in the U.S. between 2014 and 2018.
The IIHS also looked at statistics related to vehicle-pedestrian collisions compiled in North Carolina between 2010 and 2018. That data also showed that pickup trucks and SUVs were more likely than cars to hit pedestrians during left turns, by 42 and 23 percent, respectively. However, it did not note any significant differences when it came to right turns.
The IIHS acknowledged that additional studies will be needed to understand the role of visibility in these crashes. However, the latest findings have prompted the agency to take a closer look at vehicle design for visibility, all in the name of road safety.