U.S. pedestrian deaths reach a 40-year high

text.npr.org U.S. pedestrian deaths reach a 40-year high

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Big ass trucks can't see pedestrians immediately in front and to the side of them because they're so tall.
- I own one of those trucks. There's several feet in front of me that I literally cannot see. Some models had an optional front facing camera to address the issue.
  There's no reason for the height, other than "We can't be shorter than other brand". It's less fuel efficient, less convenient for hauling things (you have to lift stuff that much further into the bed), makes it handle worse, and makes it less good for towing. Unfortunately there are no heavy duty short trucks being made. Nor can you really lower the current truck due to the design of the rear axle. You might get a few inches, but that's about it.
  I really like the Ridgeline, but it cannot handle the work we do with our 3/4 ton pickup (towing a heavy trailer).
  
  I hope you know you're an outlier. The vast majority of people who own trucks in the US don't use them for things like towing or hauling.
  According to this data from Axios,^1 on a self-reported survey, only 7% of US truck owners regularly use them for towing, and only 28% regularly use them for hauling.
  87% use them for fucking grocery shopping.
- Had a friend in tenth grade die that way, large truck hit him while he was crossing an intersection on a bike (they didn't stop at a stop sign). Even on the bike he wasn't tall enough to be seen over the hood.
- And not just big ass trucks. I sat in a toyota highlander the other day and the hood was tall and massive. Why? Just for style. It has a small 4 cylinder. The nhtsa or whoever needs to add a car safety category for visibility. Until then massive grills and low visibility will be the norm.
  
  Ironically pedestrian crumple zone requirements mean biggers hoods.

This doesn't surprise me. I'm always so nervous, every driver seems so distracted. I hear everyone wants to keep their autonomy to drive, (this is in theory if autonomous driving was safe or the roads had rails for example) but they also want to look at their phones and do other shit. 😩
- It’s not the drivers. I suppose you could say drivers have become slightly more distracted due to touchscreen consoles, but the real issue is vehicles keep getting larger and pedestrians no longer ride up the hood onto the roof when being hit by a car. Instead you are hit by a 5 foot tall wall (grill) and die, and the driver doesn’t brake because they never even saw you due to the enormous blind spot in front of their truck/suv
  EDIT: I'm getting a disturbing amount of pushback on this comment, so I'm dropping this video here: These Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing Us | Not Just Bikes
  
  It feels dishonest to say it isn't drivers. You could see them coming from the sides more if you pay more attention?
  Is driving with a blind spot NOT something we are taught to check and eliminate and are the fault of the driver to chose that vehicle/not adjusting or getting mirrors, not driving slower, etc?
  I think we're lying to ourselves if we don't think people could do better.
  
  it feels more like everyone in the entire society is more stressed and desperate and that's reflected in the driving

I'd rather meet the consequences of being late, then being an unsafe driver.
Just take a moment to slow down, and look out for pedestrian crossing signs. Drive the speed limit, You will make it to your destination, it's not a race.

People have been driving like goddamn maniacs ever since the pandemic. It's like the lack of traffic hit a reset switch and made everyone forget how to behave.
- I was about to ask whether they were killed by car accidents or by drive-by shootings

Mandatory in-person yearly testing for drivers over 59 and those numbers will plummet
- I understand the reason people say this, but... This country runs on making individuals take care of themselves. A lot of people who reach that age literally have nobody else. We don't have a sufficient public transit system to accommodate the people who really shouldn't be driving.
  So I'm not really sure about this one. In a way, it's just punishing lonely old people with no extra money and no one to do errands for them, and leaving them to possibly die from being unable to take care of themselves.
  I'm not saying the way things are is okay. We really need more support for the elderly in this regard (especially in regards to public transit), because this is why a huge number of them continue driving beyond when they should be: because they literally have to because they have no one else they can rely on but themselves.
  Also, it helps to read the article which references many reasons this is happening, and none of them are the elderly.
  From the Fucking Article:
  Pedestrian deaths have been climbing since 2010 because of unsafe infrastructure and the prevalence of SUVs, which tend to be more deadly for pedestrians than smaller cars, according to Martin. When the pandemic arrived, there was an even greater surge as empty roads gave way to speeding and distracted driving.
  The pandemic has waned, but cases of reckless driving — and subsequently the number of Americans killed while walking — has not. The new data, released on Friday, shows the U.S. continues to lag in its effort to improve road safety, even as experts say some solutions are within reach.
  Nary a word about elderly drivers making an impact. I'd suspect the NHTSA probably has more data about this than either of us do, so I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's "not the fucking elderly."
  
  I actually did read the "fucking article", and others besides. Also, if you're going to be condescending to people on Lemmy, at least stop talking like you're narrating the next 2am chili. It is the judgment of this court (me) that you have posted cringe.
  Anyway:
  https://siegfriedandjensen.com/passing-the-test/
  https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813266
  https://www.iihs.org/topics/older-drivers/license-renewal-laws-table
  
  Example 1, New Mexico:
  While New Mexico allows you to renew your license every 4 or 8 years as a personal option, drivers 71–79 have to renew every 4 years
  Drivers 75 and older must prove adequate vision every renewal and must renew in person
  Drivers over 79 must renew every single year
  NM is rated as the 10th most difficult state to get a license
  New Mexico was one of only four states to post a decrease in road fatalities from 2019 to 2020
  Example 2, Ohio:
  While Ohio allows you to renew your license every 4 or 8 years as a personal option, drivers over 65 have to renew every 4 years
  Drivers over 65 and older must prove adequate vision every renewal and must renew in person
  There are no additional restrictions past 65
  Ohio is rated as the 2nd-easiest state to get a license, eclipsed only by SD
  Ohio posted a 6.7% increase in road fatalities from 2019 to 2020
  Conclusion? Being too old to drive has even more of an impact on road unsafety than giving out drivers' licenses in cereal boxes does.
  I feel sorry for old people who have no other way to get around, I really do. Letting blind people with dementia unsafely operate motor vehicles so they can run people over while trying to get to grocery stores and medical appointments isn't a solution, nor is it an acceptable stopgap till public transportation can pick up the slack. It's gotta stop right now.
- I really don't know how someone can take the things you said that wrong and at the same time write replies that long. Amazing.

I used to be a dumbass pedestrian. I'd stand near or off the curb at intersections. I'd walk on sidewalkless streets to stores. Jaywalk heavy streets. Damn I was dumb. I avoid it where I can and waaaay more attentive of other people's driving
- The growth of SUVs and big ass trucks with big ass blind spots in front of them are major factors in this.
- You're sure? I'm not from the U.S. I heard you better pay close attention to the cars or you might get run over. Your best bet is to buy a large SUV or truck to be safe inside that thing on the roads. The article also says that. I'm not trying to be overly sarcastic here. But normally, people who operate heavy machinery are the ones supposed to be attentive and look out. There are countries where people walk or drive bicycles and it kinda works. Also whole big cities like NYC where people live without driving everywhere themselves.

When I walk along a street, I count the number of drivers I see using their phones. It's been a consistent 50%. And the ones who aren't on their phones tend to be elderly. So what's surprising about an increase in pedestrian deaths?

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