Pedestrian deaths have been rising in the US for a few years after falling steadily, and the number of private vehicles that are light trucks and SUVs has been

Pedestrian deaths have been rising in the US for a few years after falling steadily, and the number of private vehicles that are light trucks and SUVs has been rising steadily. So there's a clear correlation, as well as a mechanism in that the higher, blunter front ends of these vehicles are more likely to kill pedestrians in a collision (hitting vital organs instead of legs). It's hard to know if there was a commensurate rise in buses, vans and (commercial) trucks, but they have a couple of mitigating factors: Drivers usually have more training, and they're often designed with reasonable forward visibility (especially cab-over designs). You're 100% right that street design is a super important variable here. If this kind of thing interests you I'd recommend the book Right of Way by Angie Schmitt (no relation).