Vehicle height compounds dangers of speed for pedestrians

The faster a vehicle is moving when it strikes a pedestrian, the more likely it is to inflict serious injuries. Exactly how much more likely depends in part on the height of the vehicle, with taller vehicles compounding the risk from higher crash speeds, new research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows.

IIHS researchers analyzed pedestrian crashes to develop injury risk curves showing how speed affects crash outcomes. They found that the effect of crash speed on injury risk was magnified for vehicles with taller front ends. Compared with risk curves developed using crash data from Europe, where tall passenger vehicles are less common, risk curves for the U.S. show pedestrians here begin to suffer more serious injuries at lower speeds.

“A small increase in crash speed can really ramp up the danger to a pedestrian,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “Our fondness for tall SUVs and pickups in the U.S. has intensified that effect.”

The findings suggest that the 25 mph speed limit commonly used in residential neighborhoods in the U.S. may be too high for bustling city centers or other areas with large numbers of pedestrians.

It truly boggles the mind.
How drivers today end up with a qualified license is beyond me.
Another bridge hit

A wrong turn one can understand but to continue driving...

Yeah, it's not as though it was even close to being almost low enough to make it.

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Grant
Darwin NT

Yeah, it's not as though it was even close to being almost low enough to make it.

Most double deckers are at least, 14' high. Bridge 12'6".
Hmm, let me do the math...

Yet another blind bus driver

Yet another blind bus driver

Roadway near me has several sets of signs HGV right lane only. It is five lanes wide. Every day I see HGV in every lane. Don't they read English? Are they texting instead of looking out the window?