It’s almost become an arms race of sorts. Cars getting bigger and more dangerous so people have to buy even bigger cars to feel safe.
this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2023
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I've heard that NHTSA rules & guidelines only consider vehicle occupant safety, and pedestrian safety is not considered. I think we should be including the total risk of these vehicles to the whole community.
Haven’t heard that before, will need to look into it. Big one I’ve heard is CAFE standards (fuel economy) are more lenient for light trucks vs passenger cars. I think this was mainly for shipping/work vehicles, but companies took advantage to sell bigger cars for better profit.
I'm certainly not an expert in this topic, so I'm trying to read more about it. Here are a few things I found with some quick googling.
Here's an article about the criticism of NHSTA's status quo:
Perhaps the simplest thing that NHTSA can do to "keep people safe" on U.S. roads is to clarify what they mean by "people" — and make it explicit that pedestrians are included.
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2023/01/04/four-ways-automotive-regulators-could-save-pedestrian-lives
But it does look like NHSTA is changing course:
Today, NHTSA is issuing a request for public comment on new pedestrian crashworthiness tests that measure how well vehicles protect those outside the vehicle, which can reduce pedestrian fatalities.
But this sentence makes it sound like they aren't going to be changing the rules for manufacturers:
The proposed changes will provide consumers with valuable safety information...
I'm sure there's a lot of fear of harming US manufacturers who have bet a lot on selling huge trucks and SUVs.
The stat I keep reciting in this context: "SUVs kill >4 people outside the vehicle for every passenger they save."
Does the author not realise that many of the people driving the SUVs see this as a positive?
"I care about the people in my car..."
The same people who wish it was safer for their kids to walk to school if it wasn’t for all those other dangerous drivers and SUVs. Also SUVs are more likely to run over your own kid in the driveway due to worse visibility if I recall correctly.
I am not the author, but I'm thinking that they are reciting this stat in the context of policy conversations. Probably aimed at NHTSA more than drivers.