Megacar Crisis
Streetsblog Basics
Study: SUV Drivers Cause 55% More Injuries To Bicyclists They Hit
Bicyclists who are struck by SUV drivers endure significantly more severe injuries — particularly to the head — than those struck by the drivers of smaller cars.
April 13, 2023
Alarm Bells Ringing About Heavy EVs — Even in Europe, Where Cars Are Far Smaller
The swelling size of the average car on the road is threatening the environmental potential of EVs more than proponents may realize, a prominent watchdog group warns.
April 7, 2023
Bright SUV Headlights are Making Roads Less Safe
Blindspots the size of a pre-school classroom. Hulking curb weights. Tall, aggressive hoods that can easily strike a fully-grown adult at the level of the neck.
March 12, 2023
Kids’ Psychology Affects How They Behave Around Cars — And Regulators Should Take Note
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has taken steps to understand how a wider range of bodies are likely to fare in a car crash. But as regulators finally begin to look outside the car, some researchers think it's time they start thinking about our brains, too — particularly when it comes to kids.
February 5, 2023
National Safety Board Chair Discusses Vision Zero and the Problems of Heavy EVs
"We have to be careful that we aren’t also creating unintended consequences: more death on our roads."
January 18, 2023
Big Auto’s Fuel Economy Plateau is Especially Bad News for Pedestrians
Average fuel economy on new U.S. vehicles has hit a troubling plateau last year, a new federal report finds — and the reason why is particularly bad news for vulnerable road users, in addition to the planet at large.
December 16, 2022
Opinion: The Real Reason Why Americans Keep Buying SUVs
Urbanists often see SUV purchases as an unnecessarily individualistic expression of decadence, but perhaps we might start to see this reaction as a personal strategy to mitigate a developmental priority that promotes exclusivity.
November 30, 2022
‘Minimobility’ Can Make Streets Safer — But Will SUV-Loving Americans Embrace It?
Small, slow-speed passenger vehicles that are safer for pedestrians could be a $100-billion industry by the end of the decade, a new report claims.
October 12, 2022
Surging Pickup and SUV Sales are Undermining EV Carbon Gains
In spite of rapidly growing sales, EVs have not yet measurably cut carbon. The reason why? A lack of meaningful regulations around megacars.
September 28, 2022
Pols Calls on Feds to Make Huge Cars Safer (Finally!)
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal wants federal action on megacars that are too big for drivers to see children right in front of them — but not necessarily by making vehicles smaller, which could save lives in other kinds of crashes, too.
August 18, 2022
