Over the years, American vehicles have gotten much taller and larger. There are two general reasons for this. One is that automakers are designing vehicles with aggressively tall hood heights and blunt profiles, or a flat nose on the front of the car. The second reason is that more people are buying pickup trucks and SUVs with these profiles, as opposed to sedans or convertibles.
In other words, you’re simply going to see far more large trucks and SUVs on the road today, as opposed to 20 years ago. But why are these tall vehicles more dangerous, especially for cyclists and pedestrians?
Larger blind spots
It starts with blind spots. Taller vehicles create blind spots in the front and on the sides of the vehicle. With some pickup trucks, for example, if a child was standing directly in front of the truck, the driver would not see them.
This often causes problems at crosswalks. A pedestrian could be in the crosswalk legally while a driver in a tall SUV or pickup is trying to make a right-hand turn. They believe that the path is clear and they can turn right on the red light, striking the pedestrian as they do so.
More run-over accidents
The second issue is that a larger percentage of these accidents lead to fatal injuries. Pedestrians are more likely to be knocked down and then run over by tall vehicles, whereas shorter vehicles with slanted profiles are more likely to knock a pedestrian onto the hood. So even if the odds of the accident happening were the same in both vehicles, the odds of serious injuries are still higher with pickup trucks and SUVs.
Have you lost a loved one in a crash caused by a negligent driver, or have you been seriously harmed yourself? If so, you need to know how to seek financial compensation for your medical bills and related costs.