The hood of this 2023 GMC Denali, owned by David Nichols, is approximately 52 inches high. If this vehicle were to hit a pedestrian, significant injuries or even death could result, depending on speed, because of the tall, blunt front end. (Provided photo — Dave Werner)

Vehicles with tall front ends are especially dangerous to pedestrians, but a blunt profile makes medium-height vehicles deadly too, new research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows.

In the picture accompanying this column, the hood of the vehicle, a 2023 GMC Denali owned by David Nichols, is approximately 52 inches high. If this vehicle were to hit a pedestrian, significant injuries or even death could result, depending on speed, because of the tall, blunt front end.

Whatever their nose shape, pickups, SUVs, and vans with a hood height greater than 40 inches are about 45% more likely to cause fatalities in pedestrian crashes than cars and other vehicles with a hood height of 30 inches or less and a sloping profile. The IIHS study of nearly 18,000 pedestrian crashes also found that among vehicles with hood heights between 30 and 40 inches, a blunt, or more vertical, front end increases the risk to pedestrians.

Over the past 30 years, the average U.S. passenger vehicle has gotten about four inches wider, 10 inches longer, eight inches taller and 1,000 pounds heavier. Many vehicles are more than 40 inches tall at the leading edge of the hood. On some large pickups, the hoods are almost at eye level for many adults.

Unlike all other vehicle types, tall and blunt vehicles primarily inflicted torso injuries with their front ends rather than with the tops of their hoods. They were more likely to injure pedestrians by throwing them forward, while tall and sloped vehicles usually rolled them onto the hood of the vehicle first.

Pedestrian crash deaths have risen 80% since a low point in 2009. Nearly 7,400 pedestrians — more than 20 people a day — lost their lives in 2021 after being struck by a vehicle. While speeding and poorly designed infrastructure have helped fuel the increase, many safety advocates have also drawn a connection to the growing portion of the U.S. vehicle fleet made up of pickups and SUVs, according to the IIHS.

“Manufacturers can make vehicles less dangerous to pedestrians by lowering the front end of the hood and angling the grille and hood to create a sloped profile,” said IIHS Senior Research Transportation Engineer Wen Hu, the lead author of the study. “There’s no functional benefit to these massive, blocky fronts.”

“It’s clear that the increasing size of the vehicles in the U.S. fleet is costing pedestrians their lives,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “We encourage automakers to consider these findings and take a hard look at the height and shape of their SUVs and pickups.”