Tall trucks, SUVs are 45% deadlier to US pedestrians, study shows
"Since reaching their lowest point in 2009, pedestrian deaths have increased 80% and account for 17% of all traffic deaths."
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/tall-trucks-suvs-are-45-deadlier-us-pedestrians-study-shows-2023-11-14/
@AccurstDemon …nicht überraschend
@AccurstDemon @notjustbikes double the injury rate ought to result in quadrupling the cost of insurance. Hit em in the pocketbook. That said, the cost of fuel doesn't seem to dissuade people from buying them. Bring back the station wagon! It's nothing more than a lowered SUV after all.
@AccurstDemon @notjustbikes California CVC restricts car headlights to be 22-54 inches from the ground. I wonder how close stock production vehicles get to that limit (i.e. how many lift kits are illegal), and whether class 1-3 vehicles should have a lower limit to enable better visibility. And now I'm wondering why car crash tests don't include pedestrians in their ratings.
@trouble @AccurstDemon @notjustbikes Silly rabbit, the people outside the car don't matter! /s
@AccurstDemon @notjustbikes Too many pedestrians don't look where they were going, jay-walk without looking, wear headphones and can't hear oncoming traffic, don't pay extra attention when they are wearing dark colors at night. Be safe out there everyone. You can't assume all drivers are good drivers or that they see you.
@AskPippa @AccurstDemon @notjustbikes The oversized vehicles are not safe. In my town, most of the new vehicles on the road are trucks (that will never be used for actual work) with hoods taller than I am. All these assholes need to come to terms with their tiny dicks in a way that doesn't put the rest of us at risk !
@liquor_american @AccurstDemon @notjustbikes It's also a lot harder for those drivers to see pedestrians and bikes. So, those around need to take extra care.
I was nearly crushed by a big truck that was in front of me. I got trapped between the truck, a parked car behind me, newspaper boxes on the curb side, and heavy traffic on the other. The truck started to back up -- the driver could not see me. I dropped the bike, climbed out to the street where I got the driver's attention and he stopped in time before my bike was crushed. I was completely in a blind spot.
Anyway, lots of reasons drivers can't see us. Be safe.
@AskPippa @liquor_american @AccurstDemon @notjustbikes drivers shouldn’t proceed if they can’t see what’s in the way. It’s their responsibility and our laws should better reflect that. Making vehicles less deadly would also help
@AskPippa @liquor_american @AccurstDemon @notjustbikes legally modern cars must have a reversing camera. There is no excuse for reversing into people.
@RiotingPacifist @liquor_american @AccurstDemon @notjustbikes It happened before they were common. Still, lots of older vehicles are on the road.
@AskPippa @AccurstDemon @notjustbikes trying to “educate” people on the safe way to walk simply doesn’t work. It’s often called safety theater and for good reason. Misguided at best, there’s good reason to suspect this is a deliberate tactic to distract efforts to build safer transportation systems.
@AskPippa @AccurstDemon @notjustbikes I’m not saying you’re trying to distract. Rather that this is done by government agencies, auto industry, and then sometimes by those who think cars are just a fact of life that we can’t do anything about and even that their good outweighs the costs
@AccurstDemon @notjustbikes There need to be size limits on non commercial vehicles. I’m 5ft 11in tall and my head just is just barely visible over the hoods of these new trucks. They’re unsafe at any speed.
@AccurstDemon @notjustbikes But how else will consumers display their consuming power if not by carting themselves around in an extra ton of metal and plastic?
@AccurstDemon @jayeless @notjustbikes Thank goodness it’s just US pedestrians and those of us in other parts of the world are safe 
@aral Haha, it is an awkwardly-worded headline. As an Australian I know SUVs aren't "safe" here either