Why Pickup Trucks Pose a Heightened Risk to Pedestrian Safety
Research shows pickup trucks are up to four times as likely to kill pedestrians during turns due to their size, design, and visibility issues.
Pickup trucks have surged in popularity on American roads, becoming far larger and heavier than earlier models. However, this evolution has come with grave consequences: researchers now find that pickups are multiple times more likely to kill pedestrians in turning crashes than regular cars, with specific design factors profoundly amplifying risk. This article examines why pickup trucks and other large vehicles have become disproportionately deadly for pedestrians, with an emphasis on real-world accident statistics, design flaws, regulatory gaps, and societal impact.
Table of Contents
- The Rising Danger of Pickup Trucks
- Why Turns Are Particularly Deadly
- What Makes Big Trucks Deadly to Pedestrians?
- Pedestrian Accident and Fatality Statistics
- Societal and Equity Issues
- Pickup Truck Design: Manufacturer Motivations
- Safety Technology Gaps in Pickups
- What Can Be Done to Prevent Fatalities?
- Frequently Asked Questions
The Rising Danger of Pickup Trucks
Over the past few decades, pickup trucks have undergone a substantial transformation. They have become significantly bigger, taller, and heavier. Since 1990, the average pickup has increased its curb weight by roughly 1,256 pounds, a staggering 32% rise. Many models now exceed 5,000 pounds—sometimes approaching the weight of commercial vehicles.
This boom in size and presence is reflected in market trends. By 2021, light trucks accounted for over 75% of new vehicle sales, with pickups, vans, and SUVs making up 47% of those sales in 2009. As pickup trucks have grown heavier and more common, their involvement in pedestrian fatalities has nearly doubled.
- Share of pedestrian fatalities involving pickups, SUVs, or vans:
- 1980s: 22%
- Recent years: 44%
Why Turns Are Particularly Deadly
Most pedestrian deaths happen at or near intersections, a problem that intensifies when large vehicles like pickups and SUVs are turning. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS):
- Pickup trucks are 4 times more likely than passenger cars to kill a pedestrian while turning left at intersections.
- Van drivers are 3 times more likely, and SUV drivers are twice as likely, compared to regular cars.
- Right-turn fatalities are also elevated—pickup trucks: 89% higher risk, SUVs: 63% higher risk than cars.
| Vehicle Type | Turning Left | Turning Right |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger Car | Base Risk | Base Risk |
| SUV | 2x higher | 63% higher |
| Van | 3x higher | — |
| Pickup Truck | 4x higher | 89% higher |
Turning maneuvers are critical moments where visibility, reaction time, and vehicle profile converge to create an outsized risk. Trucks and SUVs often have larger, thicker A-pillars (the vertical struts beside the windshield), which can obstruct sight lines and make it harder for drivers to see pedestrians, especially when turning. These blind spots are exacerbated by elevated seating positions and higher dashboards in newer models.
What Makes Big Trucks Deadly to Pedestrians?
Vehicle Height and Front-End Shape
- Vehicles with a hood height greater than 40 inches are 45% more likely to cause a fatality in pedestrian crashes than vehicles with hood heights under 30 inches and a sloped front.
- An increase of even 4 inches in front-end height raises fatality risk by 22%.
- Trucks with blunt, vertical front profiles are 26% more likely to kill a pedestrian compared to sloped-front vehicles within the same height range.
What others are reading
High, flat front ends transfer crash energy directly to a pedestrian’s torso, hips, or head, rather than the legs. The physics mean victims are pushed forward and downward—often directly under the wheels, rather than onto the hood as with sedans. Head and chest injuries are far more severe in such impacts.
Weight and Crash Energy
The added mass of modern pickups translates to more kinetic energy in collisions, greatly increasing the severity of injuries. Even mid-sized models like the Ford Ranger can now weigh more than 4,500 pounds.
Emergency Maneuver Performance
- Bigger vehicles do worse in handling and braking tests, making them less able to avoid last-second crashes.
Pedestrian Accident and Fatality Statistics
- In 2020: Over 6,500 pedestrian deaths in the U.S., marking a 59% increase compared to 2009.
- More than 42,000 people were killed and 4.8 million seriously injured on U.S. roads in 2020—an 8% increase from the previous year.
- Pedestrian deaths rose 46% over the past decade, a trend closely tied to the increasing market share of pickups and SUVs.
Unlike drivers, pedestrians lack safety features like bumpers or airbags. When struck by a large vehicle, outcomes are often fatal, especially for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, or wheelchair users.
Societal and Equity Issues
- Socioeconomic disparities: Lower-income individuals tend to walk more and drive smaller cars, exposing them to greater risk from large trucks.
- Demographic inequities: Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous people are overrepresented in pedestrian crash fatalities.
- Gender: Most truck buyers are male, but women are more likely to be injured in crashes with pickups.
The death toll also reflects America’s urban design: cities with wide, fast streets and poor pedestrian infrastructure see more fatalities.
Pickup Truck Design: Manufacturer Motivations
Why have pickups become so large? There are several answers:
- Consumer demand for larger, more purposeful looks: Automakers like Ford moved toward bulkier styling because “customers prefer purposeful looks”.
- Functional needs: Greater ground clearance is desired for off-roading; bigger cabs for comfort and cargo; larger grilles for cooling engines during towing.
With these changes come trade-offs, including increased danger for anyone outside the vehicle.
Safety Technology Gaps in Pickups
Availability of Advanced Safety Features
Despite their lethal potential, pickup trucks often lag behind cars and SUVs in standard safety technology, especially pedestrian-oriented features.
- Automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection can prevent crashes but only recently became standard on many pickups.
- Some pickups—like the Jeep Gladiator—still lack these systems.
Bigger vehicles also often lack features like surround-view cameras, cross-traffic alerts, and advanced sensor arrays that help detect people on foot.
What Can Be Done to Prevent Fatalities?
Tackling the pedestrian safety crisis tied to pickups requires action from all fronts:
- Redesigning front ends: Sloped hoods and less vertical profiles can reduce lethality.
- Mandating advanced safety systems: Ensuring all pickups and SUVs have automatic braking with pedestrian detection and robust blind-spot monitoring.
- Improving urban infrastructure: Adding crosswalks, pedestrian islands, and traffic calming.
- Regulatory changes: Updating safety and crash-test regulations to reflect risks to pedestrians—not just vehicle occupants.
- Raising public awareness: Educating drivers about how blind spots, vehicle height, and turning maneuvers intensify danger.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Why are pickups more likely than cars to kill a pedestrian?
A: Pickups are taller, heavier, and often feature blunt, vertical front profiles that cause more severe injuries upon impact. Blind spots and slower emergency response times further elevate risk.
Q: How does turning increase the risk of pedestrian fatalities?
A: Turning often involves complex sight lines and greater likelihood of encountering pedestrians in crosswalks. Pickup trucks and SUVs have wider pillars and higher dashboards, obscuring pedestrians during these maneuvers.
Q: Are there safety technologies that can reduce these fatalities?
A: Yes, features like automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and advanced cameras/sensors help—but are inconsistently available across pickups.
Q: What populations are disproportionately affected by these trends?
A: Pedestrians who are low-income, elderly, disabled, or from minority groups face higher risk, as do women involved in pickup collisions.
Q: What is being done at the regulatory level?
A: Some agencies are updating crash tests and considering new pedestrian safety regulations, but progress is slow and inconsistently enforced nationwide.
Conclusion
America’s love affair with pickup trucks has come at a steep price—hundreds of additional pedestrian lives lost each year. Design flaws, weight, visibility issues, and lack of robust safety technology all combine to make pickups uniquely deadly for walkers, especially during turning maneuvers. Reducing this risk will require sustained effort from manufacturers, policymakers, and drivers alike.
References
- https://www.advocateslaw.com/blog/pick-ups-causing-pedestrian-accident-crisis/
- https://de-law.com/posts/research-shows-suvs-other-large-vehicles-cause-more-pedestrian-accidents-at-intersections/
- https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-safety/the-hidden-danger-of-big-pickup-trucks-a9662450602/
- https://www.briskmanandbriskman.com/2022/04/suvs-and-pickup-trucks-most-likely-to-hit-pedestrians/
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/taller-vehicles-suvs-pickups-pedestrian-injury-risks-crash-accident-iihs/
- https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/wr/mm7408a2.htm
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