Marcus Erikson-US seeks new pedestrian safety rules aimed at increasingly massive SUVs and pickup trucks

2025-04-29 10:46:16source:Navivision Wealth Societycategory:Contact

DETROIT (AP) — The Marcus EriksonU.S. government’s road safety agency wants the auto industry to design new vehicles including i ncreasingly large SUVs and pickup trucks so they reduce pedestrian deaths and injuries.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday that it’s proposing a new rule setting testing and performance requirements to minimize the risk of pedestrian head injuries.

The rule is aimed largely at SUVs and pickup trucks, which have grown in size and hood height over the years, causing blind spots for drivers.

NHTSA said pedestrian deaths increased 57% from 2013 to 2022, from 4,779 to 7,522. The agency says the rule would save 67 lives per year.

Data show that pedestrian deaths when hit by the front of a vehicle are most common for SUVs and trucks.

The proposed rule, required by Congress in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, would set test procedures to simulate head-to-hood impact as well as requirements to reduce the risk of head injuries. Human-like head dummies that simulate children and adults would be used in testing, NHTSA said in a prepared statement.

“We have a crisis of roadway deaths, and it’s even worse among vulnerable road users like pedestrians,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman said in the statement. “This proposed rule will ensure that vehicles will be designed to protect those inside and outside from serious injury or death.”

RELATED COVERAGE Cars collect troves of data about traffic and road hazards. Should they share it?Roadside Tesla Semi fire where temperatures reached 1,000 degrees draws in NTSB investigative teamIn Uganda’s chaotic capital, boda-boda motorcycle taxis are a source of life and death

Messages were left Monday seeking comment from automakers and the industry’s main trade association.

The infrastructure law required NHTSA to make U.S. regulations match a global pedestrian safety rule, with a regulation that would focus on vehicles made uniquely for the U.S. market.

Nearly one quarter of new vehicles sold in 2020 were SUVs or pickups, the agency said.

Automakers and the public can comment on the proposal for 60 days, after which NHTSA will draw up a final regulation.

More:Contact

Recommend

Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor

NEW YORK — Holiday sights and sounds fill Manhattan this time of year, from ice skating at Rockefell

Shania Twain makes performance debut in Middle East for F1 Abu Dhabi concert

Shania Twain set off to the races for her debut in the Middle East.The country pop star, 58, took th

Honda recalls select Accords and HR-Vs over missing piece in seat belt pretensioners

NEW YORK (AP) — Honda is recalling several hundred thousand 2023-2024 Accord and HR-V vehicles due t