SUVs double pedestrians’ risk of death

By Paul Marks, New Scientist

Someone struck by a large sports utility vehicle is more than twice as likely to die as someone hit by a saloon car travelling at the same speed. The finding by American researchers will add further weight to calls for SUVs ­ sporty vehicles with a high, blunt-fronted body atop a broad chassis ­ to be made safer.

In March, Jeffrey Runge, the head of the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), called on the automobile industry to make SUVs safer (New Scientist print edition, 8 March).

Their high centre of gravity makes them more likely to roll over. According to the NHTSA, 36 per cent of fatal SUV crashes in the US in 1998 involved a rollover, compared with only 15 per cent in cars.
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https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4462-suvs-double-pedestrians-risk-of-death/