A new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds that speed of the vehicle in a pedestrian crash isn't the only factor to determine severity of the pedestrian's injury: The height of the vehicle's front is important too.
Researchers find that the taller the front of the vehicle, such as those on SUVs or pickups, especially in recent years, the more severe the injury tends to be for a pedestrian in the collision.
The severity of the injury for the pedestrian also increases when the vehicle is at a higher speed.
The study found in some cases, reducing crash speed by about 5 miles per hour cut serious injury risk by more than a third, from 50% to 32%.
Sam Monfort is a senior statistician with the institute. He said policymakers could make some changes.
"City planners or traffic engineers might consider lowering speed limits in places where lots of pedestrians are expected to mix with vehicles, or installing traffic calming measures or narrowing roads just to get that average crash speed down." Monfort explained.
Researchers said policymakers should consider lowering speed limits below 25 mph in pedestrian-heavy areas to decrease the likelihood of people being injured or killed in crashes.
The institute also suggests that automakers redesign vehicle fronts and improve automatic emergency braking systems.
But Monfort said consumers can also make a difference.
"It's common to buy a big vehicle to protect yourself. But people need to know that larger vehicles also might endanger other people and that everyone should take that into account when making a purchasing decision." he said.
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