Support Safe Vehicles

The role that vehicle design and technologies play in avoiding or mitigating the harm of crashes cannot be overstated. Seat belts and air bags, for example, prevented an estimated 425,000 fatalities in traffic crashes since they were first required by the federal government. Since the dramatic increase in vehicle size and weight, the need to expand mandates from local, state and federal governments has never been greater. FSS advocates to improve vehicle design for cars and trucks and expand the availability of vehicle systems and features that help to prevent crashes and minimize the impact of crashes to those both inside and outside of vehicles. Given the surge in deaths and serious injuries to people walking and biking in recent years, it is critical that action be taken to improve vehicle safety to address this crisis.

Countries around the world are mandating a range of safety technologies that assist drivers including automatic emergency braking that can detect and prevent crashes with people walking and biking, intelligent speed assistance that can provide audible and visual warnings to drivers when they are going too fast and even slowly reduce the vehicles speed, blind spots warning devices that let drivers know when someone is nearby that they may not be able to see, and more. U.S. failure to use this proven safety technology results in thousands of lives lost and millions seriously injured each year. At a time when fatalities are skyrocketing on our roadways, we should be using every tool that has been proven to be effective in reducing crashes.

Studies show that vehicles with higher, more vertical front ends raise risks for people walking and biking. FSS contributed to this critical report, Mass Hazards: How Bigger, Heavier Light Trucks Endanger Lives on American Roads on the dangers of the growing size of vehicles. 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. Smaller and softer hood designs can also help save lives.