There are certain factors that connect different types of collisions to each other and create trends. Alcohol intoxication and distraction have become leading causes of many different types of crashes. Researchers can identify times of day and days of the week when people are more likely to experience certain types of wrecks.
Pedestrian crashes are among the worst collisions that occur. When vehicles strike the human body, severe and even fatal injuries are likely. Trends in motor vehicle design have a noticeable correlation with trends in pedestrian collisions.
Researchers point to larger vehicles as a major risk factor. More vertical front ends and greater weight can both make pedestrian collisions more devastating. Larger vehicles also have bigger blind spots, which has undoubtedly contributed to the uptick in frontover pedestrian crashes.
What is a frontover crash?
A frontover crash occurs when a motorist drives forward over a pedestrian, often at relatively low speeds. Obviously, these crashes have the potential to cause devastating physical injuries.
Typically, these incidents involve motorists who did not notice a pedestrian in front of them. That oversight in surveillance may occur specifically because the vehicle has large blind spots.
Manufacturers have adjusted windshield design to optimize safety in the event of a crash. As vehicles have grown in size, windshields have become wider and taller as well. Unfortunately, bigger windshields are more likely to fail catastrophically during a crash. As such, manufacturers have to balance the need for visibility with occupancy.
They err on the side of caution by limiting the size of the windshields for better protection of the people inside the vehicle. This unfortunately means that there are large blind spots at the edges of the forward field of vision in SUVs and other large vehicles.
The result of that blind spot’s presence is that drivers don’t notice people in front of them on sidewalks or in parking lots. In many cases, frontover collisions involve children, who are difficult for drivers to notice even in the best of circumstances. Unfortunately, pedestrian collisions often lead to major medical expenses that far exceed the amount of insurance protection available.
Families dealing with the aftermath of a frontover collision or another type of pedestrian crash may need help pursuing justice. Reviewing the factors that contributed to a recent pedestrian crash with a skilled legal team could be the starting point of a successful claim for compensation.
