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We really need to stop treating SUVs and light trucks like something other than passenger vehicles. The difference between a mom driving a minivan, and a mom dr
by mips_avatar 5y ago
We really need to stop treating SUVs and light trucks like something other than passenger vehicles. The difference between a mom driving a minivan, and a mom driving an SUV is functionally no different in terms of passengers. But the SUV doesn't have to follow "passenger vehicle" pedestrian safety requirements, so it's a lot more lethal to pedestrians/cyclists than the minivan.
- jaywalk 5y agoWhat are you talking about?
- mips_avatar 5y agoSport utility vehicles and light trucks are allowed to mount their grill higher than a passenger vehicle and with less slope on the hood. This means that a collision with a pedestrian is more abrupt and that’s why a collision with an SUV is 2-3x more deadly for a pedestrian than a collision with a passenger vehicle. https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/new-study-suggests-todays-suvs-are-more-lethal-to-pedestrians-than-cars https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/new-study-suggests-todays-s...
- jaywalk 5y agoThat article doesn't say anything about regulations. The only thing I can find that relates at all to what you're talking about are the Federal Bumper Standards, which only apply to passenger cars. Minivans are excluded as well as SUVs. Please link to the regulations you're actually referring to, not a generic article about SUVs causing more deaths.
- mips_avatar 5y agohttps://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/523.5 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/523.5 Specifically this regulation, the distinction between passenger and non passenger vehicles. A Lexus NX SUV should be considered and regulated as a passenger vehicle except for its 28 degree sloping chin giving it a “non passenger” vehicle exemption. This means it can avoid a slew of pedestrian safety measures.
- jaywalk 5y agoWhat are the safety measures that can be avoided?
- mips_avatar 5y agoThe major concern is bonnet (hood) heigh which as you mentioned is separate from the “passenger” vehicle designation. Entering non-passenger vehicle designation is more about avoiding fuel economy standards.
- aaomidi 5y agoNHTSA also needs to take into account how well do non-passengers fare in a crash. Right now it's only focusing on car safety for the driver, which is a very shitty view for safety of cities entirely. I'm 100% fine with bans on large cars on most city streets - existing cars grandfathered in for a few more years.
- aitchnyu 5y agoIs a tall minivan front profile far safer than SUV for adult and child pedestrians who get hit?
- mips_avatar 5y agoWell as you can see from the Twitter thread minivans cause a lot of excess deaths too. But they are classified as passenger vehicles, unlike SUVs and trucks which avoid the safety regulations by being “non passenger” vehicles.
- aitchnyu 5y agoSo no real difference?
- mips_avatar 5y agoI don’t think you can tell either way from the data in the Twitter thread.