ABOUT BIG SUVS’ DANGER

American car buyers’ love of big SUVs and trucks is one reason pedestrian deaths have hit a 40-year high.

The heavier, taller vehicles now make up 80% of car sales in the U.S., and a growing body of research shows they are more deadly when drivers hit pedestrians and cyclists. The mass of SUVs and trucks means they take longer to stop and strike with more force.

They also have larger blind spots than smaller cars. With reduced visibility, drivers turning at an intersection are more likely to hit pedestrians, according to one study.

Drivers are also less likely to see small children directly in front of the vehicle. With a higher profile, when a SUV or truck crashes into a person, the front hits the chest and head for more traumatic injuries.

In the absence of federal action, California lawmakers are considering a proposal that could eventually charge car owners a fee for registering heavier vehicles. Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) has introduced Assembly Bill 251 to create a task force to study the costs and benefits of a vehicle weight fee …

As EV technology improves, the battery packs are expected to become smaller. But that advancement will be of little help if automakers keep building and consumers continue buying vehicles without regard to their danger to people in front of the windshield. Federal regulators should push automakers to design vehicles that are safer not just for the driver but for the pedestrians and bicyclists. Until that happens, California lawmakers can pass AB 251 to help create momentum for change.