27,422.
That was the number of drivers killed in road traffic accidents in the United States, according to a 2021 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) database.
Out of the 56 members of the UNECE, the U.S. had the most drivers killed in road traffic accidents. Along with the most accident fatalities and injuries. The U.S. was also first in injury rate per inhabitant, and second in fatality rate per inhabitant., in addition to having the largest amount of pedestrians killed.
If these numbers seem shocking, they shouldn’t be. Vehicle-related fatalities in the U.S. have been on an upwards trajectory for decades and it’s easy to see why. It’s no secret that the size of vehicles globally has steadily increased over the years. The nonstop increase in vehicle size has been a detriment to roads across the globe, but only in the U.S.—where 8 out of every 10 cars sold are either a truck or SUV—are these massive vehicles most destructive.
It’s clear that it is in everyone’s best interest to start opting for more midsize and smaller vehicles, and the government needs to do its part in keeping car companies in line.
For starters, larger vehicles pose a higher risk to pedestrians. A study of roughly 18,000 U.S. accidents involving pedestrians found that SUVs and vans with a hood height greater than 40 in. were nearly 45% more likely to cause fatalities than those with a height of 30 in. or less.
These vehicles also weigh more and therefore hit harder not only for pedestrians but for other drivers as well. A 2019 study concluded that compared to a smaller vehicle, a SUV colliding with a smaller car was 28% more likely to kill that car’s driver, and pickup trucks when colliding with a smaller vehicle were 159% more likely to kill that car’s driver. The only aspect of safety where oversized vehicles excel is protecting the people in the vehicle, but that comes at the expense of everyone else’s safety.
Larger vehicles may be more dangerous, but they’re also massive polluters. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and this can all be attributed to the increasing pervasiveness of larger vehicles like trucks, SUVs and minivans. As cars continue trending toward larger sizes and higher weights, this issue will only worsen.
As for what the average person can do, other than voting for better politicians and raising awareness not much. One can’t simply stumble into a 40-year high in pedestrian deaths. American car companies have spent decades working to keep the status quo. Something we can do is make better choices. Smaller and Midsize vehicles pollute less, cost less, and most importantly, less likely to kill people. Whenever someone opts for an unnecessarily large vehicle, everybody else loses.