Research: Increased Height of SUVs Leads to Severe Injuries Among Cyclists
Study: Taller SUVs Cause More Serious Injuries to Cyclists
Summary :
A recent study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) has found that taller SUVs are causing more severe injuries to cyclists when they are hit. This follows earlier research that showed SUV design is leading to more pedestrian deaths. The study suggests that SUV crashes are more likely to forcefully knock bicyclists to the ground, making them vulnerable to being run over or suffering injuries caused by hitting the ground. The increasing popularity of pickups and SUVs in the U.S. vehicle fleet may be contributing to the rising number of bicyclist deaths on U.S. roads, which increased from 621 to 932 between 2010 and 2020.
Description :
A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) has demonstrated that taller SUVs are causing more severe injuries when they hit cyclists. Previously, SUV designs have been implicated in increased pedestrian deaths, despite measures implemented in recent years to reduce this danger.
The larger size and weight of SUVs are thought to be responsible for the increase in cyclist injuries, as they can knock cyclists down and potentially run over them. According to IIHS Statistician Sam Monfort, head injuries caused by SUVs were 63% higher on average than those caused by cars, according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale. The dominance of SUVs and pickup trucks on American roads may be one factor in the increased number of cyclist deaths, which has risen sharply in recent years, from 621 in 2010 to 932 in 2020.
The results of the study suggest that SUVs are more likely than cars to cause injury when colliding with a cyclist, as they knock them to the ground where they face injury from the fall or from being run over by the vehicle’s wheels.
sources:
1- melk360.com ,Study: Taller SUVs Cause More Serious Injuries to Cyclists ,2023-04-20 15:00:00
2- https://www.planetizen.com/news/2023/04/122722-study-taller-suvs-cause-more-serious-injuries-cyclists?rand=493
