The U.S. government's National Highway Safety Administration is calling on the auto industry to design new vehicles that: Larger SUVs and pickup trucks It can reduce pedestrian deaths and injuries.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday it is proposing new rules that would set testing and performance requirements. Minimize the risk of pedestrian head injuries.
The rule applies to all passenger vehicles weighing under 10,000 pounds, but it primarily targets large SUVs and pickup trucks, which have grown in size and hood height over the years, creating larger blind spots for drivers.
According to NHTSA, pedestrian fatalities increased 57% between 2013 and 2022, from 4,779 to 7,522. The agency says the restrictions will save 67 lives per year.
Data shows that nearly half of pedestrian fatalities in frontal vehicle collisions occur most frequently in SUVs and trucks.
The proposed rule, which Congress mandated in a bipartisan infrastructure law, would establish testing procedures to simulate head-and-hood crashes and requirements to reduce the risk of head injuries. The tests would use human-like head dummies simulating children and adults, NHTSA said in a prepared statement.
“Fatal accidents on our roads are skyrocketing, even more so among vulnerable road users like pedestrians,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Schulman said in a statement. “This proposed rule will ensure that vehicles are designed to protect people inside and outside the vehicle from serious injury or death.”
Messages seeking comment were left Monday with automakers and the industry's main trade group.
The Infrastructure Act requires NHTSA to create regulations that focus on vehicles made specifically for the U.S. market and align U.S. regulations with global pedestrian safety regulations.
SUVs and trucks of all sizes accounted for about 79% of new vehicle sales in the U.S. through August, according to Motorintelligence.com.
last year, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Studies have found that vehicles with more vertical, higher front ends pose an increased risk to pedestrians: The insurance industry's research arm found that pickup trucks, SUVs and vans with hood heights over 40 inches are about 45 percent more likely to be killed in collisions with pedestrians than passenger cars and other vehicles with hood heights of 30 inches or less and sloped profiles.
The authors also questioned whether the wide pillars that support the roofs of large vehicles might make it harder for drivers to see people walking close to the corners of the vehicle.
Consumer Reports found in 2021 that high car hoods also obstruct the view of pedestrians crossing in front of them.
According to the magazine and website, pickup truck hood height has increased 11 percent since 2000. The hood of a 2017 Ford F-250 full-size pickup is 55 inches off the ground, as high as the roof of some cars.
Consumer Reports measured visibility in 15 new vehicles, including large trucks, and found that because of their height and long hoods, some trucks' forward blind spots are 11 feet longer than some sedans and seven feet longer than many popular SUVs.
Automakers and the public will have 60 days to comment on the proposal, after which NHTSA will write the final regulations.
