cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/39388453
xposted but original link (wapo) has been replaced w/archive.is
The country has become a global outlier, as fatality rates in such incidents have declined almost 30 percent in other developed countries in the decade ending in 2023.
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In addition, [in the US] more than 3,800 people were killed almost immediately when they were struck in 2023, an indication that high speeds and larger vehicles are making impacts more violent. The rate at which pedestrians are declared dead at the scene of the crash has more than doubled, according to The Post’s analysis.
That is insane.
labored breathing “I have to sit high”
I’m curious how Canada does. We follow along with all of the US’s stupid driving trends and laws for some reason.
It’s a subset of hating cars generally, but it is also an infrastructure that is not pedestrian friendly, never really was, combined with aging road systems that were created with a different speed/size/flow rate than they support now. Add in possibly the fact that there simply are more people now, both in cars and on foot/bicycles than before in this problematic situation.
i remember reading about how SUV design kills by throwing people under the car instead of pushing upwards and onto the car.
I had a car/bike collision once and I’ve found myself on the hood. I had bruises but i walked off. If the car was a SUV, i would have ended up in the hospital.
Makes sense. How the collision takes place determines the damage. Then there’s the truck models that can’t even see in front of them and wouldn’t know they ran over someone.
I drive an MX-5 in the Midwest. I have to drive super aggressively just to avoid getting sideswiped by a goddamn monster truck. It’s been close dozens of times and I’ve only had it a year and a half. It’s often not the truck drivers fault (other than owning that giant hunk of shit).
Cars are also heavier.
Cars were heavier in the 1970s and before. The fuel crisis put everyone on a diet. A good study would reveal the actual cause of this, but I suspect it is the SUV boom - they’re tall, boxy, and have very poor visibility rhese days.
@Blaster_M @LodeMike “a pedestrian or cyclist is 44% more likely to be killed if they’re struck by an SUV rather than a passenger car. The situation is even worse for younger victims – a child struck by a SUV is 82% more likely to be killed than a child struck by a passenger car.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/lauriewinkless/2025/05/07/suvs-make-traffic-worse-and-are-more-dangerous-than-cars/
Cars meaning smaller motor vehicles including SUVs
Wow, this is really concerning. I had no idea pedestrian deaths had surged so much in the US. It’s shocking to think that people are being killed while crossing the street. This highlights the importance of investing in road safety and proper infrastructure for pedestrians. It’s unacceptable for anyone to be killed in such a way, especially in this day and age where we have technology to help us navigate safely.
A lot of this is because cars have become significantly taller and heavier, making it harder for drivers to see pedestrians and more likely to kill them when they do.
