The NHTSA Will Require Automakers to Meet Pedestrian Safety Standards
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed a new rule to reduce pedestrian deaths and injuries — the first time the U.S.’s road safety agency has directly addressed America’s epidemic of pedestrian death.
The proposed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard would ensure passenger vehicles are designed to “mitigate the risk of serious to fatal injury in child and adult pedestrian crashes” by “establishing test procedures simulating a head-to-hood impact and performance requirements to minimize the risk of head injury.”
By adopting the proposal, the United States would align with the United Nations’ Global Technical Regulation on pedestrian protection, harmonizing American vehicle safety laws with our global neighbors — while factoring in the “uniquely American platforms, such as pickups and large SUVs” that make the US an especially dangerous place for pedestrians.
“We have a crisis of roadway deaths, and it’s even worse among vulnerable road users like pedestrians,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman in the announcement. “Between 2013 and 2022, pedestrian fatalities increased 57% from 4,779 to 7,522. This proposed rule will ensure that vehicles will be designed to protect those inside and outside from serious injury or death.”
The new standard would require automakers to conduct “head-to-hood impact” tests to simulate the vehicular impact on a diverse range of pedestrians, including small children, and meet performance requirements to minimize the risk of head injury.
The NHTSA estimates that the new standard would save 67 lives a year — which is amazing and worth applauding. But it’s also only a 0.8% decrease. It’s worth remembering: drivers kill an estimated 20 pedestrians every day in America.
Though there are numerous reasons for this country’s high pedestrian-death rates, vehicle design obviously plays an important part. Drivers behind the wheel of vehicles with higher front ends and blunt profiles, like trucks and large SUVs, are 45% more likely to kill a pedestrian than if they were driving a smaller car. By announcing its new proposal, the NHTSA is signaling that automakers must also do their part to address the crisis.
NHTSA will be accepting public comment on the proposed rule until Nov. 8. More information on the rulemaking process is available here.
Read more about the Department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy here.
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