New research has shown taller vehicles are more dangerous to pedestrians.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) study analyzed pedestrian crashes to develop injury risk curves showing how speed affects crash outcomes. They found that the effect of crash speed on injury risk was magnified for vehicles with taller front ends.

Compared with risk curves developed using crash data from Europe, where tall passenger vehicles are less common, risk curves for the US show pedestrians begin to suffer more serious injuries at lower speeds.

“A small increase in crash speed can really ramp up the danger to a pedestrian,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “Our fondness for tall SUVs and pickups in the US has intensified that effect.”

To estimate injury risk at different impact speeds, IIHS researchers examined 202 crashes involving pedestrians ages 16 or older. The records came from two databases — one of crashes that took place between 2015 and 2022 in Michigan and another of crashes that occurred in 2022 in California, New Jersey and Texas.

The researchers used photographs of the vehicle models involved to determine the height of the hood’s front edge. They then looked at the effect of vehicle speed and vehicle height on the risk of injuries of different severities.

Regardless of vehicle height, higher speeds were associated with increased risk of injury at all severities.

The study showed in general, higher vehicle front ends increased the likelihood of both moderate and serious pedestrian injuries.

The IIHS said vehicle manufacturers had a role to play in preventing pedestrian crashes and mitigating those that still occur. They could, for example, modify their front-end designs and equip vehicles with more robust automatic emergency braking systems.

“This study is a vivid illustration of how multiple factors — in this case speed and vehicle height — converge to create negative outcomes on the road,” Harkey said. “Similarly, it will take a combination of actions from different corners of the transportation world to improve pedestrian safety.”