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A comment on Roads Are Getting Deadlier for Pedestrians. Parent comment

Re:Roads Are Getting Deadlier for Pedestrians by mikece on Wednesday March 24, 2021 @10:18AM (#26567530)
> It's mostly down to vehicles being larger over the timespan measured.

My neighbor's Smart Car and Cooper Mini beg to differ. Also, the proliferation of electric cars requires shedding weight in order to get more mileage. Sure, we still have lots of massive SUVs on the road but I would dispute the notion that vehicles overall are getting heavier on average.

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Re:Roads Are Getting Deadlier for Pedestrians by ch4s3 on Wednesday March 24, 2021 @10:30AM (#26567689)
From the article:

> Larger vehicles, such as the popular SUVs and trucks that dominate new car sales, are more dangerous for pedestrians than sedans

Most new car sales are now SUVs and trucks. The share of SUVs and trucks sold is up over the period considered in the article, your neighbor notwithstanding.

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Re:Roads Are Getting Deadlier for Pedestrians by MereInterest on Wednesday March 24, 2021 @10:30AM (#26567690)
The data do not support your anecdotal evidence. The difference is less than I had thought, about 20% heavier on average relative to the minimum in the 1970s, but car size is increasing on average. (Section 4 in the below link.)

https://www.epa.gov/automotive-trends/highlights-automotive-...

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Re:Roads Are Getting Deadlier for Pedestrians by wiredfool on Wednesday March 24, 2021 @10:30AM (#26567697)
Minis are _huge_ compared to what they used to be.

Also, VW Golf/Rabbits. Civics. Accords. They're all huge. And they've all got a lot less glass than they use to have. (High beltline, small windows)

Not that long ago you could get a car that was ~2000 lbs. A big car was 2 tons.

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Re:Roads Are Getting Deadlier for Pedestrians by dagw on Wednesday March 24, 2021 @10:38AM (#26567794)
Smart Car and Cooper Mini beg to differ

I haven't checked the sales numbers, but I see far fewer Smart Cars today compared to even 5 years ago. Also the latest Mini Coopers are massive. Much larger than most normal cars.

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