SUVs 'kill more pedestrians'

10 February 2004: Pedestrians struck by large SUVs are more than twice as likely to die than those struck by cars, according to US research.

A study published in the journal Accident Analysis & Prevention calculated that 4.5 per cent of pedestrians struck by cars in accidents over a five-year period died, against 7.8 per cent of those struck by small SUVs and 11.5 per cent struck by large vehicles.

The research was undertaken by Clay Gabler and Devon Lefler in the department of mechanical engineering at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey.

Some 5,000 pedestrians are killed each year in the US, where more than half of all vehicles bought are SUVs, pick-up trucks or vans.

In Britain, almost 5 per cent of all cars sales are now SUVs, and the AA Motoring Trust there has said people should 'think very carefully' before buying that sort of vehicle for urban use.

©2004 irishcar.com