Many modern vehicles, such as SUVs and pickup trucks, have blunt or flat front ends. To some degree, this change was made for safety. It spreads out the impact in a pedestrian accident, which reduces the amount of damage to any specific part of the body. Some believe that this can keep pedestrians safer in an accident.
One of the problems with these modern designs is that vehicles have gotten much taller than they used to be. The impact point is going to be higher on a person’s body. When that point is above their center of gravity, the person is more likely to be knocked backward, which means they are at risk of being run over by the vehicle.
In contrast, with a shorter vehicle that had a sloping front end, people were often struck below their center of gravity. This would cause them to fall forward onto the vehicle’s hood. They could still suffer serious injuries, but they do not face the same risk of being run over after the impact.
Creating blind spots
Another issue with these flat front ends on modern vehicles is that they are so high that they can create blind spots directly in front of the truck. For instance, a pedestrian may have the right of way and start crossing the street in front of a pickup truck that is waiting to turn right. But the driver of the truck may not see the pedestrian, so they simply start to execute their turn, without realizing that they are going to hit someone in the crosswalk.
These vehicle design issues can cause serious injuries to pedestrians — especially children. It is important for those who have been injured or who have lost a loved one to know what legal steps to take to seek justice and compensation.
