Tall Hoods, Tall Risk: The Pedestrian Toll of Modern SUVs and Trucks
An NYT investigation links the rise of tall-hood SUVs and pickups to a surge in pedestrian deaths since 2009, estimating about 3,000 deaths (2016–2024) could have been avoided if vehicle sizes had stayed roughly the same; taller hoods and larger blind spots reduce driver visibility, while safety tech like automatic braking helps but isn’t consistently reliable, and regulators have been slow to address the issue amid automakers’ push for bigger, pricier vehicles.