The taller the vehicle, the greater the danger for pedestrians. For instance, some studies have looked at the top height of a vehicle’s hood. If it is at least 40 inches or more, then the odds that that vehicle will cause a fatal pedestrian accident go up by a staggering 45%.
Naturally, the risk is especially great for children. With many modern pickup trucks and SUVs, children are virtually invisible if they’re standing in front of the vehicle. They’re not taller than the hood, and a driver wouldn’t know they were there. For instance, a truck may be parked in a parking lot, and a child could be waiting to get into their car, which is next to the truck. But if the driver of the truck simply starts moving forward, they’ll hit the child without even knowing that they’re about to cause an accident.
The problem is getting worse
This issue is growing on two different fronts. For one thing, vehicle designs have changed over the years. SUVs and pickup trucks are taller than they used to be, and they often have blunt or flat front ends.
On top of that, these SUVs and pickup trucks are some of the most popular vehicles in the United States. When looking at new vehicle sales, they dramatically outsell vehicles like sedans or coupes, even though those smaller vehicles would be much safer for pedestrians. As such, you have larger and taller vehicles on the road more frequently all the time, and pedestrians are facing escalating dangers.
Have you been injured in a serious accident or perhaps lost a loved one? Take the time to look into all of your legal options carefully.