genejockey 

There are no 2000 lb cars anymore. There are damn few 3000lb cars.

SUVs are now >52% of the cars sold, and they're not only bigger and heavier than ever, the front ends are taller and more massive than ever before. The height of the front end, plus the added height to make them look "off-road-y" makes it harder for drivers to see what's in front of them, making it more likely they'll hit pedestrians or cyclists. These are the choices consumers are making, buying ever-bigger SUVs instead of sedans or station wagons, and this is the result.

EDIT: the massive, blunt front ends of current pickups and SUVs are much more damaging at lower speeds than lower, more rounded vehicle fronts. Again, these are the choices consumers are making.

seedsbelize2

We were following a texting motorcyclist last evening. All over the road. Finally he had the good sense to pull off the road to finish his business

seedsbelize2

To say the least. I didn't know you could get shocked by those things.

Velo Vol 

genejockey 

New study suggests today’s SUVs are more lethal to pedestrians than cars

See also...

seedsbelize2

Around here, the majority of households don't have internet service(it costs money, like trash pick up service). So the only place they have signal is out on the road, and they use it heavily out there.

MoAlpha

Years ago, some oncoming idiot made a left turn in front of me and I ended up, more or less intact, on his hood. That outcome would have been quite different if he had been driving an SUV.

genejockey 

They'd have been picking bits of you out of the grill.

Mojo31

With the advent of electric cars, the weight of sedans is even blowing up. My Taycan weighed over 5,000 pounds, and that is fairly typical of EVs.

I'm guilty of driving an off-road SUV, but it has 360 degree cameras so it is pretty hard to not see what is around you. There are also few, if any, pedestrians around here other than the morning walk types in the hood.

Not all SUVs are the same. The hood line on my wife’s hits me about 6” below the hips, while the Bronco hits me about moob height (6’ frame for reference). That’s a significant difference.

seedsbelize2

Moob? Is that like gub?
OH! I see. Or I think I do. Nevermind

genejockey 

My biggest complaint about SUVs is that they're impossible to see through. BITD, when you were driving in traffic, surrounded by sedans, coupes, and station wagons, you could see through and around them and see what the car ahead was doing. Now? Unless you're in an EVEN BIGGER SUV, you can't see around or through the SUV ahead of you, and you only have their brake lights to go by. And so, when the number of SUVs on the road increases, more people want SUVs just to achieve parity.

genejockey 

It's what you put in a Mansiere.

seedsbelize2

The CRV is about the biggest SUV I see around here. The MG might be a little bigger, bit very few of those. I could never see the advantage of the CRV over the Fit. Inside space is about the same. There"s ground clearance of course. And more money spent. I think the second option is the main reason. Appearances
Very few full size trucks either, but lots and lots of box trucks

seedsbelize2

I figured it out. Thanks.

Eric F 

YIKES! I'm glad things weren't worse, but that sounds pretty scary. Good luck.

big john

I'd rather be around a good driver in a monster truck than a bad driver in a small car.

A few of us were riding in the local mountains after a fire and subsequent rains clogged the debris basins and flowed mud onto the roads. Dozens of dump trucks around all day. Every one of those drivers was friendly and careful and they even waved us around when they were on a 15 mph descent. Of course, we were buzzed by an idiot in a sports car and we all remarked about the contrast between the trucks and the little car.

genejockey 

Okay, but it's not like the drivers of monster trucks and SUVs aren't the same ****** drivers who were ****** drivers of smaller cars 10 years ago. Plus they're more distracted than ever, AND they can't see as well.

Professional drivers are rarely the problem because they're, you know, professionals. It's all the amateurs.

Mojo31

Wow! You are way too young for that. Take care of yourself!

DougRNS

I guess I wasn't clear. that graph shows an increase in pedestrian deaths by automobiles. Nowhere does it explain why. I would assume texting is a bigger cause. I can't see the horizontal axis so who can can say. They just decided to attribute it to big bad cars.

tl;dr
show your work Axios.

big john

I agree with you. I just wish more people would take driving seriously and realize they could maim or kill someone.

genejockey 

See #3305

mschwett 

thanks everyone. it’s been so long since i had any real “incident” from my heart condition that the impact is probably more psychological than anything else. hopefully not a sign of any disease progression and just a random thing. will have to take it easy for a bit but there’s really nothing else that can be done. higher dose of meds i suppose.

i haven’t heard back from my EP yet but i’m actually thinking i did get shocked by the AICD after i passed out.

four out of the five people who stopped to help in the 30 seconds before and after were cyclists, and everyone was just incredibly nice, even offering to ride home and get their cars with bike racks to get me and the bike home. felt bad that i put a dent in so many people’s morning ride.

Eric F 

Look at it this way...You gave those people an interesting story to tell their friends and family. It's refreshing that there are still people who give a damn about other people, even ones they don't know.

MoAlpha

I don't know anything about implantable defibrillators, but isn't shocking you when you go down sort of the point?

MoAlpha

Precisely.