Could federal proposal curb rise in pedestrian deaths?

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Pedestrian safety is at the heart of the new proposed safety standard.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says its proposal for safety tests and requirements for large vehicles — large SUVs, trucks and others — could save 67 lives a year.

The federal government agency’s data shows, from 2013 to 2022, pedestrian deaths increased 57%, from 4,779 to 7,522 fatalities.

The agency believes 70% of pedestrian collisions happen at vehicle speeds of up to 25 mph.

For nearly three years, Eric Holt with Indy Pedestrian Safety Crisis has documented pedestrian safety in Indianapolis. He says August was the worst month he’s seen in years when it comes to pedestrians accidents; of 68 crashes, six were fatal.

A total of 489 pedestrian accidents — with 27 deaths — have happened so far in 2024. “Anything we can do to help lower these numbers is extremely welcomed,” Holt said.

A suggestion in the federal proposal calls for expanding automatic emergency-braking technologies to automatically stop or reduce the speed of a vehicle before it strikes a pedestrian

SUVs and trucks have increased in size over the past few years. One of the safety tests includes head-to-hood simulation on crash dummies. Pedestrians’ legs typically hit the front end of a vehicle, causing their heads to strike the hood.

Under the federal proposal, new vehicles would have to minimize the height of the hood’s edges to reduce the impact.

Holt says larger vehicles can also have blind spots for drivers, and that’s why its time for a redesign. “We’ve seen over the last couple of years as vehicles have gotten bigger, studies have shown, they’ve become more dangerous and deadly for people that are walking.”

The safety proposal , more than 200 pages in length, is still in its early stages, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be accepting public comments for the next two months.

Statement

“Safety is a top priority. Automakers have voluntarily developed and introduced many crash avoidance technologies to help make roads safer for pedestrians and road users. We provided input to NHTSA in the early stages of this process and will review the proposal released this week.”

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which includes Ford, Toyota and other automotive manufacturers