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

DETROIT — The U.S. government's road safety agency wants the auto industry to design new vehicles including increasingly large SUVs and pickup trucks so they reduce pedestrian deaths and injuries.

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

The rule would cover all passenger vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less, but it's is aimed largely at big SUVs and pickups, 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 nearly half of all 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.”

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a large industry trade group, pointed out that companies have already developed crash avoidance technology to make roads safer for pedestrians and others. The industry has given input to NHTSA on pedestrian safety and will review the proposal, the alliance said in a statement.

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.

Through August, SUVs and trucks of all sizes accounted for almost 79% of new vehicles sales in the U.S., according to Motorintelligence.com.

Last year, an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study found that vehicles with higher, more vertical front ends raise risks for pedestrians. The research arm of the insurance industry found that pickups, SUVs and vans with a hood height greater than 40 inches are about 45% more likely to cause deaths in pedestrian crashes than cars and other vehicles with a hood height of 30 inches or less and a sloping profile.

The authors also questioned whether wider pillars holding up roofs of the larger vehicles make it harder for drivers to spot people walking near the corners of vehicles.

Consumer Reports found in 2021 that elevated vehicle hoods also obstructed driver views of pedestrians crossing before them.

The magazine and website found that pickup truck hood heights have risen 11% since 2000. The hood of a 2017 Ford F-250 heavy-duty pickup was 55 inches off the ground, as tall as the roofs of some cars.

Consumer Reports said it measured visibility for 15 new vehicles, including full-size trucks. Due to height and long hoods, it found that front blind spots in some trucks were 11 feet longer than some sedans and 7 feet longer than many popular SUVs.

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