SUVs, Large Vehicles More Likely To Hit People While Turning: Study

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released a recent study that found that certain types of accidents involve more large vehicles than cars. Large vehicles include SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks, which, as we know them today, have become more common on US roads since the previous decade.

In the previous research, the agency has determined that SUVs are more fatal to pedestrians than cars. The recent IIHS study further reinforces that and makes it more specific to various scenarios.

In the latest study, IIHS looked at the most common types of single-vehicle, single-pedestrian collisions that occur at or near intersections and other places. They next looked at how the three larger types of vehicles fared in these collisions compared to cars. Of note, turning accidents accounted for more than 900 of the approximately 5,800 fatal pedestrian accidents at or near US intersections from 2014 to 2018.

According to research, the probability of an accident that killed a pedestrian at an intersection involving a turn left (compared to no-turn) is about twice as high for SUVs, nearly three times as high for vans and minivans, and nearly four times higher for pickups than cars. On the other hand, those involving turn right also 89 percent higher for pickups and 63 percent higher for SUVs than cars.

“It is possible that the size, shape, or location of the A-pillars supporting the roof on either side of the windshield may make it difficult for drivers of these larger vehicles to see pedestrians crossing when they turn,” said IIHS Senior Transportation Engineer. Wen Hu.

Apart from fatal accidents, the IIHS also studied police-reported pedestrian accidents in North Carolina from 2010 to 2018. Turning accidents accounted for approximately 2,070 of the 5,500 accidents that occurred at or near intersections in North Carolina during the study period. Among those numbers, pickups are 42 percent more likely and SUVs are 23 percent more likely to hit pedestrians than cars when turning left. For right-turning collisions, IIHSA found no significant difference.

IIHS acknowledges that more studies are needed to understand the role of visibility in these accidents. However, recent findings have prompted the agency to take a closer look at vehicle design in terms of visibility – all in the name of road safety.