A new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) suggests that SUVs, pickup trucks, vans and minivans are two to four times more likely than other types of vehicles to hit pedestrians when making turns.
"It's possible that the size, shape or location of the A-pillars that support the roof on either side of the windshield could make it harder for drivers of these larger vehicles to see crossing pedestrians when they are turning," IIHS Senior Transportation Engineer Wen Hu said in a press release.
But it's not just the size of the A-pillars.
"We already know that larger vehicles cause more severe injuries when they strike pedestrians," IIHS vice president of research Jessica Cicchino said in a release. "The link between these vehicle types and certain common pedestrian crashes points to another way that the increase in SUVs on the roads might be changing the crash picture."
To reach this conclusion, the researchers studied the most common types of single-vehicle, single-pedestrian crashes at and around intersections and other locations. They then studied how larger vehicle segments were involved versus smaller cars.
After analyzing crash data, the IIHS found that the odds that a pedestrian was killed in a left-hand turning incident versus a crash that didn't involve turns were twice as high for SUVs, almost three times as high for vans and minivans and about four times as high for pickups over sedans.
In right-hand turn pedestrian crashes, pickup trucks were 89 percent more likely to be involved than a car. SUVs were 63 percent more likely to be involved.
In other locations, the chances of killing a pedestrian with a pickup truck or SUV was higher than a car by 25 and 51 percent, respectively.
Along with examining the federal fatal crash database, the team examined data on pedestrian crashes in North Carolina from 2010 to 2018.
For that state, left turns at intersections involving pickups and SUVs were more likely to hit pedestrians when turning left by 42 percent and 23 percent, respectively.
Turning crashes made up 2,070 out of 5,500 crashes at or near intersections in North Carolina during that time period.
Researchers suggest that the overall design of these larger vehicles is hindering visibility in many scenarios.
The IIHS said that some technological and design solutions can help in reducing these crashes, including automatic emergency braking systems that can detect pedestrians, hood airbags, hoods that automatically pop up on impact and vehicle noses with sloped front ends.
The group also says that the findings suggest that a review of larger vehicle design and its impact on driver visibility is warranted.
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