The federal government has been dragging its feet on pedestrian safety despite increasing fatalities. Jalopnik deserves a shout out for giving visibility to this underdiscussed issue.
For example, Managing Editor Erin Marquis (2020b) recently pointed out that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration “has known since 2008 that it needs to be crash-testing cars for pedestrian safety.” Yet the U.S. government has not — in contrast to those in Europe and Japan, which have done so since 2016 (2020a).
Crash testing should be only a first step. Marquis (2020a) noted that the NHTSA could also require “automakers to design bumpers and hoods to absorb pedestrian impacts.” In 2015 the Obama administration solicited public comments on possible new rules but they were tabled when Trump took over.
What happened to the magic of the marketplace?
The lack of federal action may be happy news to Keith Crain, the editor-in-chief of Automotive News. He has railed against government regulation for years (go here for an example). The problem is that the magic of the marketplace has failed — spectacularly — when it comes to pedestrian safety. Automobiles designed specifically for the U.S. market have largely ignored the issue. Indeed, one could argue that vehicles have gotten worse in recent years.
Part of the problem is that the front ends of large trucks and SUVs have grown remarkably tall and boxy. To make matters worse, automakers have raced each other to make the most aggressive-looking grilles.
Big and scary front ends are a stylistic fad akin to tail fins in the 1950s. There is no technical reason why trucks need to look like they can — and will — eat little children. Indeed, if designers paid more attention to pedestrian safety, that might also result in much better aerodynamics. Upstart EV manufacturers such as Tesla and Rivian have hinted at what is possible.
Styling has become as excessive as the late-1950s
In recent years most of the legacy automakers have raced to make the most aggressive front-end designs for their trucks and SUVs. Jason Torchinsky (2018) was right to criticize truck grilles for becoming more and more “Baroque and confrontational.”
In another article, the Jalopnik senior editor called out General Motors for a proposed design that looks more like an armored tank than a truck used by normal people.
“Just take a moment and really look at that thing,” Torchinsky (2020) wrote. “Holy shit. What . . . what happened to you, designer? The world is scary sometimes, sure, but not that scary. I promise, there’s still good in the world! You don’t have to hole up in a slit-windowed steel parapet with a battering ram up front.”
Torchinsky has noted that aggressive truck styling began with the mid-1990s full-sized Dodge pickup. What he didn’t mention was that this trend was partly influenced by market researcher Clotaire Rapaille. He argued that styling which spoke to our inner reptile would sell more SUVs (Bradsher, 2002; p. 95). And trucks. Go here for the bizarre details.
When will the ‘big-and-scary’ boom go bust?
This fad will eventually fade away. The only question is how many pedestrians and cyclists are hurt or killed in the meantime.
Perhaps the biggest prompt would be if Joe Biden becomes president and imposes new pedestrian safety standards. Or perhaps Donald Trump wins reelection and continues to avoid new regulations . . . but the public turns away from aggressive-looking trucks in the same way that they rejected the tail-finned monstrosities of the late-50s.
Indeed, here’s a prediction: Someday auto designers will express the same remorse for the design of contemporary trucks and SUVs that GM styling chief William Mitchell once expressed for late-50s cars. He stated in an oral interview after his retirement that, “We got panicked by (the 1957) Chrysler and made crazy things, and wings, and everything” that he was “ashamed to look at” (Crippen, 1987).
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RE:SOURCES
- Bradsher, Keith; 2002. High and Mighty: SUVs — The World’s Most Dangerous Vehicles and How They Got that Way. Public Affairs, New York, NY.
- Crippen, David R.; 1987. “The Reminiscences of William L. Mitchell.” Automobile in American Life and Society. Posted May 8; accessed July 5, 2017.
- Marquis, Erin; 2020a. “NHTSA Declares October ‘National Pedestrian Safety Month’ Will Continue To Do Fuck-All About Pedestrian Safety.” Jalopnik. Posted September 30; accessed October 16.
- ——; 2020b. “NHTSA Isn’t Doing Enough To Protect Us From Giant Trucks.” Jalopnik. Posted April 28; accessed October 16.
- Torchinsky, Jason; 2018. “We Need to Talk About Truck Design Right Now Before It’s Too Late.” Jalopnik. Posted December 4; accessed October 16, 2020.
- ——; 2020. “Hey Maybe Someone Go Check And See If GM’s Truck Designers Are OK.” Jalopnik. Posted September 23; accessed October 16.
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