Pedestrian deaths and large vehicles

Justin Tyndall

Economics of Transportation, 2021, vol. 26-27

Abstract: Traffic fatalities in the US have been rising among pedestrians even as they fall among motorists. Contemporaneously, the US has undergone a significant shift in consumer preferences for motor vehicles, with larger Sport Utility Vehicles comprising an increased market share. Larger vehicles may pose a risk to pedestrians, increasing the severity of collisions. I use data covering all fatal vehicle collisions in the US and exploit heterogeneity in changing vehicle fleets across metros for identification. Between 2000 and 2019, I estimate that replacing the growth in Sport Utility Vehicles with cars would have averted 1,100 pedestrian deaths. I find no evidence that the shift towards larger vehicles improved aggregate motorist safety.

Keywords: Transportation; Safety; Health; Traffic fatalities; Externalities; I1; R41; R42; R48 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Pedestrian Deaths and Large Vehicles (2021)
Working Paper: Pedestrian Deaths and Large Vehicles (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecotra:v:26-27:y:2021:i::s2212012221000241

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecotra.2021.100219

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