NHTSA’s New Pedestrian Safety Rule Proposal: Changes in Vehicle Design

Introduction

In recent years, the number of pedestrians killed in motor vehicle accidents has significantly increased. To address this issue, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed a new rule that aims to change how vehicles are designed in order to reduce pedestrian deaths.

The Proposal

The NHTSA’s proposal focuses on pedestrian safety and includes changes to hoods and grilles of vehicles. Under the new rule, passenger vehicles weighing 10,000 lbs or less would need to comply with a new pedestrian head protection standard. This means that almost all cars, trucks, and SUVs would be impacted by the proposed changes.

New Safety Standards

The main focus of the proposal is to require vehicles to meet a head injury criterion during testing simulating a head-to-hood impact. The vehicles would have to reduce the risk of serious to fatal head injury to child and adult pedestrians in impacts at speeds up to 25 mph (40 km/h), which account for about 70 percent of pedestrian injuries from vehicle impacts. To meet these standards, vehicles would be tested with “human-like headforms” representing a diverse range of pedestrians.

Redesigning Vehicles

In order to comply with the new safety standards, vehicles would need to be redesigned. The government has mentioned changes to hoods, grilles, and corners. While these changes may impact fuel efficiency, the estimated cost to consumers is expected to be in the range of $2.86 – $3.50 for passenger cars over the lifetime of a vehicle.

Impact and Benefits

Although the proposal is well-intentioned, its impact on reducing pedestrian fatalities would be minimal. The NHTSA estimates that the new rule would only save 67 lives annually, which is a small number compared to the over 7,000 pedestrian fatalities that occur each year.