Trucks And SUVs With Big, Blocky Front Ends Are Deadlier To Pedestrians

A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) suggests that the risk of causing harm to pedestrians in an accident by SUVs and trucks increases in line with the height and shape of their front end. This follows a previous study that revealed pedestrians are more at risk when SUVs are cornering.

The agency’s study specifically referred to tall, blunt-nosed vehicles, common traits in some of the best-selling vehicles sold in the United States, such as trucks like the Ford F-150 and SUVs like the Toyota RAV4.

The data from the study also shows that regardless of the nose shape, pickups, SUVs, and vans with hood heights greater than 40 inches have a 45% increased chance of causing a fatality in a pedestrian crash. The percentage goes down for vehicles with a sloping profile and a hood height of less than 30 inches. However, the data also shows that vehicles within the 30 to 40-inch hood height range with a blunt nose are still as deadly, posing a 44% increased risk.