In recent years, a handful of studies have found that large pickups, SUVs, and vans are largely to blame for a sharp rise in pedestrian deaths, mostly due to the fact that their taller ride height and longer hoods create larger blind spots – in fact, they’re around 45 percent more likely to cause fatalities in those types of accidents. As a result, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed a new rule that may ultimately impact Ford trucks and SUVs, if it comes to fruition.
The proposed rule would establish a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard requiring that new passenger vehicles be designed to reduce the risk of serious-to-fatal injuries in child and adult pedestrian crashes, and it would apply to passenger vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less, including multipurpose passenger vehicles such as trucks, SUVs, crossovers and vans. The proposed standard would establish test procedures simulating a head-to-hood impact and performance requirements to minimize the risk of head injury by using human-like headforms to measure that specific type of impact.
“We have a crisis of roadway deaths, and it’s even worse among vulnerable road users like pedestrians,” said Sophie Shulman, NHTSA Deputy Administrator. “Between 2013 and 2022, pedestrian fatalities increased 57 percent from 4,779 to 7,522. This proposed rule will ensure that vehicles will be designed to protect those inside and outside from serious injury or death. We will continue to work to make our roads safer for everyone and help protect vulnerable road users.”
Ford is seemingly aware that such changes may be in store, given some of the ideas it has explored via recently published patent filings. Those include an idea for a bumper-mounted inflatable device that’s designed to protect pedestrians from the blunt impact of the entire front end of the vehicle, as well as the possibility that they’d be pulled underneath it and suffer even greater injuries. Another recently-published patent also presented us with an idea for an external airbag system for pedestrians that would function in a similar manner.
Comments
This is another way they’ve found to force us into smaller and smaller, less powerful vehicles, but in this case, I have to say that our appetite IS way too big and bloated.
Maybe design a “cow catcher” like they had on locomotives
The increase is more than likely largely due to the increase in pedestrians glued to their electronic/phone devices and oblivious to their surroundings.
Of course it is. That and the pot heads wandering aimlessly in the world… FFS…. But blame the drivers and our vehicles… WE MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT SOMETHING…. AND DO IT NOW!
This is government going to far.
Every time the government gets involved in anything it always causes more grief and more money they want us to ride bicycles and take mass transit. I am a car guy, trucks included.
We need to stop with these so called safety features. Time to get rid of others. The government safety regulations are driving the cost of vehicles up. Way up. Lets get lean. They dont help anyway.
Huh…..the fact that everybody, including the PEDESTRIANS mentioned, are staring at their phone doesn’t have a THING to do with this increase, correct? I’ve had SO many people just step out in front of me, or staggering along side the road while playing with their phone….but yeah….blame the truck.
I came across a rather super small car next to mine, could not see it, it was so small a two seater convertible. My side spotter didn’t see it, because it was so low. I happen to see it when the traffic started moving and he was ahead of me.
Vehicles that small should not be allowed on the road.
Let’s not forget that a huge portion of pedestrians are wearing noise cancelling headphones. So between heads in their phones and being totally oblivious to sounds, it’s not surprising.
Maybe we need regulation that causes noise cancelling headphones to provide auditory alerts whenever the sounds of vehicles are captured.
How about teaching half braindead idiots to stay off their phones walking around town…. seems we always have to take the most drastic approaches to anything anymore
If you cross at an intersection, you are a pedestrian. If you J-walk, you are a target.
There are wearable airbag vests for motorcyclists out now. Make it mandatory to wear one in urban areas.