U.S. Trucks With 50-Inch Hoods Kill Thousands of Pedestrians, Times Investigation Finds
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 22
U.S. Trucks With 50-Inch Hoods Kill Thousands of Pedestrians, Times Investigation Finds
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 22
Summary
A New York Times investigation found large pickup trucks and SUVs kill thousands of pedestrians who might have survived collisions with smaller cars.
At 20 mph, crash simulations showed a sedan with a roughly 31-inch hood tends to strike below a pedestrian’s center of gravity, while a pickup with a hood near 50 inches hits the chest, throws the person down and runs over them.
The investigation identified two main reasons: taller hoods make impacts more lethal, and larger blind spots leave drivers less able to see people in front of the vehicle.
Those risks have grown as bigger vehicles have taken over U.S. roads; models with hoods above 50 inches, including heavy-duty pickups, have increased fivefold since 2002.