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Minivans are part of the problem according to this paper "I find pickup trucks, minivans and SUVs all significantly increase pedestrian fatalities relative to

Minivans are part of the problem according to this paper "I find pickup trucks, minivans and SUVs all significantly increase pedestrian fatalities relative to cars. Converting 10% of the vehicle fleet from cars to pickups is estimated to increase the pedestrian fatality rate by .04 deaths per 100,000 residents (3.4% in the median metro). I find that converting 10% of cars to minivans would increase pedestrain deaths by .05 deaths per 100,000 residents (3.9% in the median metro). Converting 10% of cars to SUVs would increase pedestrian deaths by .03 deaths per 100,000, or 2.6% in the median metro. In column 4 I further break out SUVs into Large and Small SUVs." If I'm reading this right, it's the worst of the 3

caconym_ 5y ago
Interesting. I wonder if it's a visibility thing, or vehicle geometry, or traits common to the typical minivan driver, or what. I would expect to find that they are not as dangerous to occupants of other vehicles as trucks and larger, higher-riding SUVs, which is half of what I'm talking about here, but I could absolutely be wrong about that.
- waiseristy 5y ago
  Trucks have ground clearance, their bumpers are still at a side-crash-bar level. Minivans also weigh nearly as much as most trucks. Typically more than a light duty truck. This study and the title of this post obviously state that Large Vehicles == More Pedestrian Deaths. Be it a minivan, Tesla, Truck, or whatever. Everyone in this thread finger-pointing at their perceived cultural enemies identities is straight up moronic
- randerson 5y ago
  If I had to hazard a guess, minivans look to have a higher center of gravity than SUVs, so it is easier to lose control. And for whatever reason Porsche/BMW/Mercedes have performance-oriented SUVs with sports-car-like handling and braking, whereas nobody seems to be doing this with minivans, so this may skew the results in favor of SUVs. Why trucks fare better than minivans though, I have no idea..
- throwawaysea 5y ago
  Part of it is probably cost. The average new pickup truck that is sold in the US costs just over $50K, while the most expensive versions of the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna minivans come in under $50K. The average new truck probably has relatively more electronic safety features at those price points (things like collision avoidance) as well as cameras suited to driving a bigger vehicle that can also tow big things.

caconym_ 5y ago

Interesting. I wonder if it's a visibility thing, or vehicle geometry, or traits common to the typical minivan driver, or what. I would expect to find that they are not as dangerous to occupants of other vehicles as trucks and larger, higher-riding SUVs, which is half of what I'm talking about here, but I could absolutely be wrong about that.

waiseristy 5y ago
Trucks have ground clearance, their bumpers are still at a side-crash-bar level. Minivans also weigh nearly as much as most trucks. Typically more than a light duty truck. This study and the title of this post obviously state that Large Vehicles == More Pedestrian Deaths. Be it a minivan, Tesla, Truck, or whatever. Everyone in this thread finger-pointing at their perceived cultural enemies identities is straight up moronic
randerson 5y ago
If I had to hazard a guess, minivans look to have a higher center of gravity than SUVs, so it is easier to lose control. And for whatever reason Porsche/BMW/Mercedes have performance-oriented SUVs with sports-car-like handling and braking, whereas nobody seems to be doing this with minivans, so this may skew the results in favor of SUVs. Why trucks fare better than minivans though, I have no idea..
throwawaysea 5y ago
Part of it is probably cost. The average new pickup truck that is sold in the US costs just over $50K, while the most expensive versions of the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna minivans come in under $50K. The average new truck probably has relatively more electronic safety features at those price points (things like collision avoidance) as well as cameras suited to driving a bigger vehicle that can also tow big things.