large cars and pedestrian injuries Tag Archives

Published on: July 28, 2025

Study: Many Cars Now Have Expanded Blind Zones, Bigger Car Accident Risks

Much of motorist safety has to do with safe vehicle design. Thousands of car accidents every year are likely caused by imperfect or defective design of automobiles. A disturbing new study finds that some of the top-selling cars in America, including larger automobiles like SUVs and pickup trucks have blind zones that have expanded in size over the past 25 years. Simply put, larger blind spots greatly increase the risk of car accidents.

The analysis was conducted recently by researchers at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a group that has been in the forefront of demanding that automakers implement safer vehicle designs as a way of preventing car accident wrongful deaths. This study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety used new measurement techniques to measure a motorist’s area of vision around the vehicle.

The study found that between 1997 and 2023, forward visibility around a vehicle dropped by as much as 58% in some of the most popular SUVs on the market. In the case of pickup trucks, the forward visibility dropped by 17%. This means that the blind zones in many of the most popular and highest- selling pickup trucks and SUVs in the United States have actually been decreasing significantly in size over the past few years.

Published on: September 20, 2024

New Bill Would Require SUVs, Trucks to Protect Pedestrians

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A new bill that is expected to be introduced soon would require federal standards for the heights of SUVs and pick-up trucks to also consider pedestrian safety. This is an extremely important change which is likely to save lives in auto accidents involving pedestrians and bicycles.

According to Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pennsylvania), who is introducing the new bill, while there is much that is currently being done to protect occupants inside the vehicle, there is much more that can also be done in order to protect vulnerable users like pedestrians and bicyclists who are outside the vehicle when auto accidents occur.

The popularity of pick-up trucks and SUVs has skyrocketed in the past few decades, and these are some of the most in-demand automobiles on the American roads. Unfortunately, while these are very popular vehicles, their presence on our roads also pose a serious danger to motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists. Their large sizes and bulk makes it much more likely that occupants of smaller vehicles will suffer serious personal injuries or wrongful deaths when they are involved in an auto accident with these large SUVs and trucks. There is immense danger to pedestrians and other vulnerable users like bicyclists who are involved in auto accidents with these vehicles.

Published on: July 16, 2024

Welcome Drop in Pedestrian Accident Wrongful Deaths in 2023

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

New data finds a drop of 5% in the number of pedestrians killed in auto accidents in the United States last year.

The Governors Highway Safety Association recently released new data that finds a 5.4% drop in the number of pedestrians being killed in auto accidents compared to the previous year. In 2023, a total of 7,318 pedestrians were killed in car accidents.

While the news of a drop in the number of deaths is encouraging, it is too early for celebration. The fact is that pedestrian accident numbers continue to remain stubbornly high. According to Governors Highway Safety Association data, the numbers in 2022 were a 14% increase over pre- pandemic numbers. Pedestrian deaths accounted for close to 18% of all auto accident deaths in 2022. Between 2010 and 2022, there was a shocking 77% increase in pedestrian accident wrongful deaths, and the increase in overall traffic accident deaths was just 22 percent during this time.

Published on: February 14, 2024

Large Cars are a Major Car Accident Risk on Georgia Roads

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

While car accident wrongful death numbers in the rest of the developed world have been falling significantly, they have actually been on the rise in the United States. Part of the reason for this, experts say, is the presence of massive or large automobiles on our roads.

Tall SUVs are extremely popular, and have been so for decades. The race to make these cars bigger and better has, unfortunately, resulted in serious safety consequences for motorists and pedestrians. Some of these tall trucks, especially those with blunt trunks, aim directly at the torso or neck of the average American woman. The height of these vehicles makes it almost impossible for motorists to see shorter pedestrians, like young children behind the car. Even more devastating is the kind of impact that an auto accident with one of these monster-sized cars can result in. An auto accident with a smaller car may leave passengers suffering injuries in the leg, while an accident with a tall pick up truck or SUV can leave a passenger with personal injuries to the upper torso or the head and neck, and these personal injuries can be infinitely more serious. They are often also fatal.

Not only are these cars bigger and stronger, but they also come with large blind zones in front of the vehicle. That means they are at risk of causing severe and catastrophic personal injuries to vulnerable users of the road like pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicycles involved in an auto accident with these tall pickup trucks and SUVs. Of special worry is the large blind zone in front of these large vehicles. In one study, experts wanted to study how difficult it is for the driver in one of these cars to identify child pedestrians in front of the car. The experts made children sit in a row in front of the car. They found that a woman driver sitting in the driver’s seat was only able to see the 10th child in the row. Even an alert driver may not be able to identify child pedestrians in front of the car. The kind of car accidents that these large cars cause are devastating and often result in deaths.

Published on: December 19, 2023

Cars With Taller Front Ends More Likely to Cause Fatal Pedestrian Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Pedestrians are more likely to suffer fatal personal injuries in a car accident when they are involved in an accident with a large vehicle, like a pick up truck or SUV. According to the findings of a new study, however, more than the size of the vehicle, it may be the height of the front end of the truck that may prove most detrimental to pedestrian safety.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently published the findings of two new research studies into pedestrian safety. According to the researchers, vehicles that have taller, higher front ends are much more likely to cause serious and fatal personal injuries to pedestrians in a car accident. The study found that cars with a hood height of more than 40 inches were approximately 45% more likely to kill pedestrians involved in an auto accident with the car, in comparison to cars that had a hood height of 30 inches or less.

The worrying part is that vehicles with taller, higher hoods have become extremely popular over the past few decades. According to research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, over the past 30 years, there has been a significant increase in not just the size and weight of the average vehicle, but also the hood height. The average car has increased by 8 inches in height and 1000 pounds in weight. Over the same period of time, cars have also gotten about 4 inches wider and about 10 inches longer. In fact, many vehicles that you see in Atlanta today are likely to be at least 40 inches or higher at the tallest point of the hood. Aggressive – looking vehicles are not just intimidating to pedestrians, but are also capable of causing serious and devastating personal injuries that can result in wrongful death.

Published on: April 16, 2022

SUVs, Other Larger Vehicles More Likely to Hit Pedestrians

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Despite efforts to the contrary, larger vehicles including SUV’s continue to be in strong demand by drivers. Pedestrians may be in danger from all vehicles on the road, but may be at an especially higher risk of being struck by larger vehicles like SUVs and minivans compared to passenger cars.

That information comes from a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The organization studied the risk to pedestrians from a number of different types of vehicles, and found that larger vehicles have a higher rate of being involved in pedestrian collisions, compared to smaller cars. Not only are larger trucks more prone to hitting pedestrians, but these accidents are also much more likely to result in severe injuries.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety looked at accidents involving single vehicles at several locations, including intersections. The study found that the rate of fatal injuries in an accident by a left -turning vehicle was much higher in the case of SUVs with a rate that was twice as high compared to head-on accidents. The risk was also three times higher for vans and minivans. This risk of hitting a pedestrian while making a left turn was the highest in the case of pickup trucks with a rate that was 4 times higher.