Several factors contribute to these grim statistics, but a big one (pun intended) is the size of vehicles on the road. Large SUVs and pickup trucks are, unsurprisingly, more likely than smaller cars to injure or kill pedestrians due to their greater weight and taller front ends.
Almost half of all pedestrian fatalities in the United States are associated with passenger cars; about 40% are associated with light trucks, a category that includes vans, pickups, and sport utility vehicles (SUVs). Only 5% of pedestrian fatalities are associated with large trucks, and 2% are associated with buses.
The Ford F-series, which includes the F-350, the F-250, and the F-150, was involved in the most significant number of fatal car accidents. They accounted for approximately 65% of all fatal accidents.
Most pedestrian deaths occur in urban areas, on roadway locations away from intersections (where higher speeds might occur), and at night.
Pedestrians. Pedestrians are arguably one of the most vulnerable road users because lack any sort of protection from a vehicle. People can be very difficult to see, especially for people in a vehicle where visibility is often limited.
Speeding is another major contributor to crashes, increasing the chances of a collision because: Faster vehicle speeds make it harder for drivers to see pedestrians; and. High speeds lower the amount of time that a driver has to avoid a crash.
While front-end and rear-end collisions are the most common types of traffic collisions, the passenger side is more likely to be hit in a side-impact collision.
Intersections. Around 15 percent of fatal car crashes occur in intersections, while the remaining 85 percent take place on the open road. However, many non-fatal car crashes do take place in intersections as a result of improper left turns, violations of traffic laws, speeding, and distracted driving.
The F-150 is the most popular vehicle of any kind in the U.S., a distinction it's held for many years. But along with its stablemates, the larger F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks, the F-150 accounts for more fatal accidents than anything else on the road.
According to the IIHS, which is funded by the insurance industry, Toyota and Lexus rack up the most awards, followed by Honda and Acura. Mazda comes in next. Both small SUVs and midsized luxury SUVs take home the most wins, although the list includes vehicles of all types. A Rivian R1T after a front offset crash test.
The least safe car, according to the study, was the 2017 Ford Fiesta, a four-door minicar.
One study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety revealed that drivers and passengers of pickup trucks are 2.5 times more likely to suffer fatal injuries in a traffic accident.
Vehicles in the Most Fatal Car Crashes
These are the top 10 vehicles involved in the most fatal vehicle accidents between 2016 and 2020: Chevrolet Silverado: 8,777 accidents. Ford F-150: 7,502 accidents. Honda Accord: 5,368 accidents.
Passenger cars were by far the most common vehicle involved in fatal crashes in recent years and have and cause significantly more accidents and fatalities than those involving motorcycle wrecks, bike accidents or pedestrian injuries.
70 MPH is the average speed limit on most US highways. It is also the speed at which a fatal car accident becomes practically inevitable.
Parking lots are arguably the place where most low-speed collisions occur. Common parking lot accidents include vehicles backing up into each other, vehicles backing up and getting clipped by passing vehicles, vehicles sideswiping other vehicles as they park, etc.
MUARC's determination is that white is the safest vehicle color. Why? In all types of weather and lighting, the visibility of a white vehicle rates much higher, particularly at night. In fact, the study showed there is a 12 percent less chance of accident involvement in a white car than a black one.
The safest cars in the world include cars from Volvo, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Honda, Subaru, Mazda and Tesla. Volvo has several models that consistently attain high rankings in safety awards due to their innovate technology and safety equipment. Audi is not just a luxury brand but is considered for its safety too.
The safest car colors
According to the study, white cars are 12 percent less likely to get into an accident than black cars are, regardless of the time of day. Cream, yellow, and beige cars also ranked closely behind white; yellow actually surpassed white as the safest color in some studies as well.
While pedestrians accounted for about 17% of traffic deaths in 2021, this percent varies by age. Pedestrians represent 19% or more of traffic deaths among 35- to 74-year-olds. The largest number of pedestrian deaths occur among 55- to 64-year-olds (1,343).
A total of 7,388 pedestrian deaths occurred in 2021. Pedestrian fatalities increased 13 percent from 2020, and account for 17 percent of all crash fatalities. Although pedestrian deaths were 2 percent lower in 2021 than in 1975, they have increased 80 percent since reaching their lowest point in 2009.
Driving under the influence, speeding and seatbelt nonuse are the top behaviors that lead to car accident deaths.