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CDA
May 11, 2023
We already suspected it, but a study confirms it: colliding with an SUV increases the chances of death for cyclists.
SUVs are the fashionable cars in our country (and in almost the entire planet). Drivers prefer them for their aesthetics, robust feel and high riding position, but there is a type of road user for whom these vehicles pose a major danger.
We are talking about cyclists who, according to the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), are in greater danger of death when they collide with an SUV than with any other type of vehicle.
It is not the first time that this body analyzes the danger of SUVs. Previous IIHS research has shown that these types of vehicles are more deadly for pedestriansbut the institute wanted to look into whether SUVs are really more dangerous for cyclists.
The front of the SUV, responsible
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The tallest vehicles were involved in 26 percent of all pedestrian and bicyclist accidents, but in 44 percent of fatal accidents. This contrasts with the data for collisions with passenger cars, which account for 62 percent of pedestrian and cyclist accidents, but only 38 percent of fatal accidents.
“The overrepresentation of certain vehicles in cyclist fatalities is probably due to the way their frontal height interacts with the person they hit“Say Samuel S. Monfort and Becky C. Mueller in the IIHS report. “Our previous research on pedestrian collisions found that SUVs were more dangerous than shorter, smaller cars, at least in part due to their higher leading edges.”
Using data from actual accidents involving bicyclists, the IIHS report concludes that given the high height of SUVs and the slightly higher center of gravity of bicyclists, almost all lesions were concentrated in the lower half of the bodyalthough SUV crashes that resulted in head injuries were 63 percent more severe than head injuries from car crashes.
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«SUVs injured cyclists more seriously than carss, even after controlling for pre-impact speed, time of day, crash site, and age and gender of the cyclist,” the report concludes. “The pattern of the results suggests that the size and shape of the front-ends of SUVs are responsible for the differences in injury outcomes for cyclists, which is consistent with our previous findings on pedestrian crash outcomes.” .
The solution? IIHS states that it is necessary continue researching more front protectors for this type of vehiclewhile encouraging manufacturers to improve cyclist recognition in their driving assistance systems.
