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Pedestrian Deaths and Large Vehicles

Author

Listed:
  • Justin Tyndall

    (University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Department of Economics, University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization)

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 2018, I estimate that replacing the growth in Sport Utility Vehicles with cars would have averted 1,100 pedestrian deaths. I finnd no evidence that the shift towards larger vehicles improved aggregate motorist safety.

Suggested Citation

  • Justin Tyndall, 2021. "Pedestrian Deaths and Large Vehicles," Working Papers 2020-4R, University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, University of Hawaii at Manoa.
    • Handle: RePEc:hae:wpaper:2020-4r
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    File URL: https://uhero.hawaii.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/UHEROwp2004R.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Tyndall, Justin, 2024. "The effect of front-end vehicle height on pedestrian death risk," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    2. Sanders, Rebecca L. & Schneider, Robert J. & Proulx, Frank R., 2022. "Pedestrian fatalities in darkness: What do we know, and what can be done?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 23-39.
    3. Nehiba, Cody & Tyndall, Justin, 2023. "Highways and pedestrian deaths in US neighborhoods," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    4. Charles Dearman & James Milner & Glenn Stewart & Giovanni S. Leonardi & John Thornes & Paul Wilkinson, 2023. "Sports Utility Vehicles: A Public Health Model of Their Climate and Air Pollution Impacts in the United Kingdom," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(11), pages 1-22, June.
    5. Jack Stilgoe & Miloš Mladenović, 2022. "The politics of autonomous vehicles," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-6, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Transportation; Safety; Health; Traffic Fatalities; Externalities;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise
    • R42 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Government and Private Investment Analysis; Road Maintenance; Transportation Planning
    • R48 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Government Pricing and Policy

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