The likelihood of a pedestrian or cyclist dying in an accident increases by 44% when using an SUV, according to a study published at the end of April by Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Compared to previous research on the subject published in recent years, the London researchers' study reported a much higher rate. In the past, we focused on a Belgian study by the VIAS Institute, which suggested a 20% higher risk of serious injury in the event of a collision with an SUV rather than a conventional passenger car.
The fault obviously lies with the raised height of these models, which still accounted for one in two sales in France in July 2024. With a hood 10 cm higher than average, the risk of a fatal accident would increase by 30%, Belgian researchers suggested in 2023, analyzing all accidents that occurred between 2017 and 2021. In addition to the direct risk created by raising a car in the event of an impact, the increased feeling of safety on board certainly also has its impact, with drivers not hesitating to drive faster and take more risks.
Between 2008 and 2024, SUV registrations have increased tenfold in France, to the point of becoming problematic for parking in cities like Paris (for the past year, there has been a special tax based on the weight of the vehicle) but also for the environment (whether thermal, hybrid or electric SUVs, all pay the price for their excess weight and lack of aerodynamics). From now on, Road Safety could take new measures in view of the conclusions on the analyses of accidents over the last decades.
Reduce the number of deaths by 8%
The London study thus concluded that, if all SUVs involved in accidents were replaced by conventional passenger cars, the number of pedestrians and cyclists killed would be reduced "by around 8% in Europe and 17% in the United States." To arrive at this, Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine analyzed no fewer than 680,000 collisions over the past 35 years in Europe and the United States.
Obviously, the number of serious accidents involving SUVs in the United States is higher due to their greater democratization, but also the even greater number of pickup trucks. The next interesting subject of study will be electric cars, and more specifically electric SUVs. By combining their raised ride height with greater stealth, their collision risk could be debated.
Source: The Standard
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