Study finds forward visibility declined as much as 58% over multiple vehicle redesign cycles. Forward blind zones in six top-selling passenger vehicles grew substantially from 1997 to 2023 as pedestrian and bicyclist deaths soared, according to a study using a new measurement technique developed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The study, led by […]
Road to Zero Coalition Reports on Safety Risks of Oversized Passenger Vehicles
Research shows SUVs, vans and pickup trucks are particularly dangerous compared to smaller cars. In 2023, over 40,000 people lost their lives on U.S. roadways, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Recognizing how dangerous roadways have become and that SUVs, vans and pickup trucks account for nearly 75% of vehicles produced today, the […]
NHTSA Proposes New Vehicle Safety Standard to Better Protect Pedestrians
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is advancing pedestrian safety by proposing a new rule to reduce fatalities and serious injuries among pedestrians struck by vehicles. In 2022, 88% of pedestrian fatalities occurred in single vehicle crashes. The proposed rule would apply to passenger vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or […]
IIHS Reports Crash Avoidance Systems Struggle in New Test
Few small SUVs excel in new front crash prevention test. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is updating its vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention test to address crashes that occur at higher speeds and those in which the struck vehicle is a motorcycle or large truck. Only one of the first 10 small SUVs evaluated in […]
NHTSA Proposes New Crashworthiness Pedestrian Protection Testing Program
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing updates to its flagship vehicle safety consumer information program, the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) to include pedestrian protection. NHTSA is issuing a request for public comment on new pedestrian crashworthiness tests that measure how well vehicles protect those outside the vehicle, […]
U.S. Pedestrian Deaths Projected to Have Risen Yet Again in First Half of 2022
Dangerous driving, inadequate infrastructure and larger vehicles lead to deadly conditions for people walking, with one death every 75 minutes. Drivers in the United States struck and killed 3,434 people in the first half of 2022 – up 5%, or 168 more deaths, from the same period the year before, according to a new analysis […]
IIHS Finds Few Vehicles Excel in New Nighttime Pedestrian Autobrake Test
More than half of the 23 vehicles tested earned basic score or no credit in test. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is introducing a nighttime test of pedestrian automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems to address the high percentage of pedestrian crashes that occur on dark roads. Four of the first 23 midsize cars, midsize […]
AAA Reports Consumer Skepticism Toward Autonomous Driving Features Justified
Research indicates driving assistance technology continues to underperform. In AAA’s latest survey of attitudes about automated vehicles, drivers overwhelmingly want automakers to improve the performance of existing driver support features rather than develop self-driving cars. And this desire is backed by another round of AAA testing that reveals inconsistent performance remains a problem with available […]
U.S. Pedestrian Deaths Jumped in First Half of 2021
Dangerous driving, inadequate infrastructure, larger vehicles combine to create deadly results for people on foot. A new analysis from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) projects that U.S. drivers struck and killed 3,441 pedestrians in the first six months of 2021, up 17% – or 507 additional lives lost – from the same period the […]
IIHS and HLDI Call on Regulators to Require Pedestrian AEB that Works in the Dark
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) this month petitioned federal regulators to require manufacturers to equip all new passenger vehicles with automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems capable of detecting and avoiding pedestrians in the dark as well as in daylight. Both a HLDI analysis of insurance claims […]