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Yes, they're much safer for the occupants. They're probably less safe for pedestrians and cyclists hit by them, considering the increase in mass and height.
by jonstewart 7y ago
Yes, they're much safer for the occupants. They're probably less safe for pedestrians and cyclists hit by them, considering the increase in mass and height.
- jcoffland 7y ago> considering the increase in mass and height. Most of today's cars are significantly less massive even if their size is larger.
- jonstewart 7y agoMy first car was an '84 Ford Crown Vic LTD, that beautiful monstrosity of a two door coupe. It was ~215 inches long and was made out of ~3650 lbs of Detroit steel. I now drive a 2015 Ford Escape, which is 178 inches long and weighs ~3550 pounds. Similar-sized cars are probably lighter nowadays, but the overwhelming shift towards SUVs holds back the average mass. Now I'm misty-eyed, thinking of my beautiful LTD... a completely inappropriate car in 2019, but so much fun to drive.
- mywittyname 7y agoEvery new car is designed with pedestrian safety as a concern. Pedestrian safety regulations are the major reason all cars share the same profile. Designers don't have much leeway when it comes to the shape of a car because all the panels need sufficient cushion and be angled such that pedestrians are deflected, and there's only so many ways to accomplish that. So designers focus on what they can change, which is pretty much grills, tail lights and door creases.
- jonstewart 7y agoI am sure there are design considerations, but the IIHS believes there’s a link between rising pedestrian deaths and the rising proportion of cars on the road being SUVs. Source: https://usa.streetsblog.org/2018/05/09/study-links-rise-of-suvs-to-the-pedestrian-safety-crisis/ https://usa.streetsblog.org/2018/05/09/study-links-rise-of-s...