I don't understand the claim that SUVs are the cause of increased pedestrian deaths.
I understand that SUVs are more damaging to pedestrians when hit, but it doesn't look like SUVs are contributing to pedestrian deaths any more than other vehicles. From 2012 to 2021 the percent of pedestrian deaths caused by SUVs went from 17% to 24%, but the production share of SUVs also jumped from 21% to 45%. The share of SUVs on the road will lag production, so it would be better to compare number of vehicles or miles driven, but it's difficult to find that data. I did a few estimates and I keep getting the surprising result that fewer pedestrians are killed per registered SUV than registered sedan, pickup, van, or truck.
There's a lot of other good data. Deaths are largely increasing in adult populations (20-69 years) while children are safer than ever. (Pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people by age, 1975-2021: https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/pedes... ) Deaths are most likely to happen when it's dark (77% from 9 pm to 6 am, more deaths in winter than summer), and from 2010 to 2021 deaths during the day increased 30% but deaths at night increased 86%. Increasingly deaths are occurring in urban areas (84%). And most of those killed are men (75%).
I understand that SUVs are more damaging to pedestrians when hit, but it doesn't look like SUVs are contributing to pedestrian deaths any more than other vehicles. From 2012 to 2021 the percent of pedestrian deaths caused by SUVs went from 17% to 24%, but the production share of SUVs also jumped from 21% to 45%. The share of SUVs on the road will lag production, so it would be better to compare number of vehicles or miles driven, but it's difficult to find that data. I did a few estimates and I keep getting the surprising result that fewer pedestrians are killed per registered SUV than registered sedan, pickup, van, or truck.
There's a lot of other good data. Deaths are largely increasing in adult populations (20-69 years) while children are safer than ever. (Pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people by age, 1975-2021: https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/pedes... ) Deaths are most likely to happen when it's dark (77% from 9 pm to 6 am, more deaths in winter than summer), and from 2010 to 2021 deaths during the day increased 30% but deaths at night increased 86%. Increasingly deaths are occurring in urban areas (84%). And most of those killed are men (75%).
https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/...
https://www.epa.gov/automotive-trends/explore-automotive-tre...
https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/pedes...
https://www.bts.gov/nts/50th
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2020/m...