Texas residents never expect to be struck by a vehicle while crossing the street. Sadly, a study has revealed that more pedestrian fatalities occur when pickup trucks and SUVs are involved.
What is the study and what does it show?
The study, conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, revealed that larger vehicles like pickup trucks are more likely to strike pedestrians when making turns compared with cars.
Larger vehicles have grown more popular over the years. As a result, more drivers are choosing SUVs and pickup trucks. These much larger, bulkier vehicles have contributed to more pedestrians getting killed while crossing streets by a margin of 59% since 2009, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Why are more deadly accidents occurring?
One of the reasons why motor vehicle accidents involving pickup trucks and SUVs are so serious is that the vehicles are taller and strike pedestrians higher on their bodies. The impact could be far more severe when the torso is hit instead of the legs.
Pickup trucks and SUVs also have certain blind spots that cars lack. The pillars holding up the roofs of the vehicles are wider, which makes it more difficult for drivers to see pedestrians when they’re walking near the corner of their vehicle. As a result, if the driver can’t see the pedestrian, they are more likely to believe the road is clear. Unfortunately, this significantly increases the risk of a motor vehicle accident seriously injuring or even killing a pedestrian.
These dangers are even higher for pickup trucks alone. According to the study, a pickup truck is 89% more likely to fatally strike a pedestrian while making a right-hand turn. Pickups are four times more likely to get into an accident resulting in a pedestrian death than cars.
