Americans' love affair with big cars is killing them
Americans' preference for larger vehicles, especially heavy trucks and SUVs, increases road safety risks for others, with potential 12% reduction in fatalities if downsized, yet consumer demand persists for heavier models.
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Americans' preference for larger vehicles, particularly heavy trucks and SUVs, has significant implications for road safety. A recent analysis indicates that while heavier vehicles provide more protection for their occupants, they pose a greater risk to others on the road. For instance, a crash involving a heavy pickup truck results in a fatality rate for other drivers that is approximately seven times higher than that of a compact car. The disparity in vehicle weight has remained a persistent issue, with heavier vehicles increasingly dominating the market. Data from 2013 to 2023 shows that the heaviest vehicles are responsible for a disproportionate number of fatalities in multi-vehicle crashes. If the heaviest vehicles were downsized, it is estimated that road fatalities could decrease by 12%, potentially saving around 2,300 lives annually. Despite these findings, car manufacturers continue to produce heavier models, driven by consumer demand and a perceived need for safety. This trend reflects a broader societal issue where individual choices lead to collective harm, as consumers feel compelled to buy larger vehicles to ensure their own safety in an increasingly heavy vehicle landscape.
- Heavy vehicles are safer for their occupants but increase risks for others on the road.
- The fatality rate for crashes involving heavy vehicles is significantly higher for other drivers.
- Downsizing the heaviest vehicles could reduce road fatalities by 12%.
- Consumer demand continues to drive the production of heavier vehicles despite safety concerns.
- Individual choices in vehicle purchases contribute to a collective safety issue on the roads.
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- Heavier vehicles are perceived as safer for occupants but pose greater risks to other road users, leading to calls for regulatory changes.
- Many commenters believe that manufacturers prioritize larger vehicles due to consumer demand, despite safety concerns.
- Suggestions for solutions include taxing heavier vehicles and limiting their size to reduce fatalities and pollution.
- There is a growing public awareness and concern regarding the impact of large vehicles on road safety.
- Some commenters argue that the automotive industry shapes consumer preferences through marketing and availability of vehicle types.
41 commentsThe heaviest vehicles kill more people than they save: Analysis of crash data shows that for every life saved by the heaviest 1% of SUVs and trucks, more than a dozen lives are lost in other vehicles.
Weight advantages have changed little over time: Despite improvements in safety features, the weight advantage of heavier vehicles has remained relatively constant, with heavier vehicles still causing more fatalities in lighter vehicles.
Carmakers prioritize consumer preferences over safety: Manufacturers are producing increasingly heavier vehicles, driven by consumer demand for larger, more powerful cars, despite the safety risks to others.
Regulators are ill-equipped to address the issue: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's rating system focuses on occupant safety, not the safety of other road users, and tax policies subsidize heavier vehicles.
Public awareness and concern are growing: Surveys show increasing concern about the size and safety of SUVs and pickup trucks, with researchers and policymakers starting to take notice.
Electrification may exacerbate the problem: The shift towards electric vehicles, which tend to be heavier than their internal-combustion equivalents, may increase the weight of vehicles on the road, further amplifying the safety risks.
It's not to say that we don't like big cars because we do, but walk into a car dealership looking for a small car and they will tell you they are out of stock of new ones of the model you want because the factory washed out in a flood but then they have 100 SUVs in a row unsold that nobody wants to buy made in the same factory. Your only choice is a used return that somebody sold back to them yesterday afternoon.
Go into a dealership looking for an S car and they will try to sell you an L, go in looking for an M and get an XL and so forth. If you drive out with a $25,000 car when you could could of driven out with a $50,000 car they perceive it as a $25,000 loss! No wonder mainstream car brands can't sell electrics.
1. CAFE standards use different rules for cars and light trucks. It’s a protectionist move that strongly pushes manufacturers to find ways to get CUV’s on the road instead of hatch backs and sedans. 2. And CAFE uses a “footprint formula” that relaxes standards for larger vehicles. 3. Compound that with a side impact test that started at 3,015 lbs (high) and then was amplified by the (private) IIHS test raising their sled weight (4,200 lbs?) to reflect average fleet weight, which turns into an arms race.
In the end, people respond to incentives, and we get the cars we regulated for.
You pay an annual registration fee for your vehicle. Make that fee go up dramatically for heavier vehicles. If you pay, say, $100 for a car under a ton, make it $1k for up to two tons, $10k for 3 tons, etc..
I saw an old Hummer H2 on the road the other day. They used to appear gargantuan to me. This time, what struck me was that it no longer looks shockingly larger than anything else on the road.
There’s a real boiling frog vibe to inner city traffic. It’s so bad - so jammed up and so dirty - but we’re completely inured to it. It’s my fervent hope that the next generation - or perhaps the one after that - will think it very weird indeed to live and work alongside the byproduct of hydrocarbon combustion.
When I was younger and regularly getting around on a bike, I used to view people in large, high vehicles with contempt. I don't anymore. I see them as victims of an industry that lacks moral responsibility.
A quote from a GMC designer around the time this ridiculous SUV mania was taking hold:
"I remember wanting it to feel very locomotive - like a massive fist moving through the air"
It might not be obvious to Americans, but I find it very telling that American made vehicles are almost always the most 'aggressive', and often marketed that way. Why is that?
Have a law, define a target weight + speed and then make it REALLY expensive to insure or kill people with your car.
Also in the law: if you drive around without insurance, the car is instantly taken away from you, as it is a weapon to conduct a crime :-)
Still people will drive big cars around, but the market will limit the number of people who can pay for it. And of course: new cars only and when ownership is transferred. No additional tax for existing owners.
The market would solve this problem VERY VERY quickly.
NotJustBikes: These Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing Us
A great source of data for this topic is the Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST) [a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration product]. Link: https://cdan.dot.gov/query
It has more data (covers all states) although VIN numbers do not appear to be in the dataset.
A potential solution would be to give heavier cars worse crash ratings. This approach would take into account not only the safety of the occupants of the car but also the occupants of other vehicles.
And the key word is "real investment". not the ones for California to build its high-speed railway, 7 EV charge stations for 7.5 billion dollars, or $300M for high-speed internet yet no family has got it
Also it is sad to see the disappearance of wagons from the US market. There is no better family car than an E55 AMG.
1) it allowed them to bypass the 70's fuel economy regulations, which applied to cars but not trucks (nor SUVs)
2) their profit margin was higher on trucks than cars
e.g.. their love for humongous wide hard to maneuver fire fighting vehicles (and their over use in situations which shouldn't require a fire truck/engine) implicitly block a lot of improvements and often lead to forced wider lanes and other street design aspects which by now are well known to hugely contribute to more deadly accidents
1) Big cars are safer for their occupants
2) Nothing else matters more than that
I went from NZ watching (medium sized, even!) utes climb literal mountains in rural areas to the literal flatland of London/Europe, watching people bound their way down narrow medieval lanes in a city in range rovers and defenders - 1 person per SUV.
We're so doomed, lmao.
It's disturbing to see comments that celebrate and excuse wallowing in that subculture.
Now imagine a testosterone filled teen driving it on the freeway after a couple of beers and wants to show off.
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