Heavier Injuries from Taller Cars
The average height of the fronts of new cars in Austria has increased by five centimeters over the past ten years. In 2024, car hoods were on average 83 centimeters high, compared to 78 centimeters in 2014, reported the mobility organization VCÖ on Friday. High hoods thus increase the risk for pedestrians of being seriously or fatally injured in an accident. The VCÖ called on the EU Commission to limit the height of hoods.
Car Fronts Five Centimeters Higher as a Safety Problem
While in 2014, the front of eleven percent of new cars was higher than 90 centimeters, this was already the case for more than 18 percent of new cars last year, according to the VCÖ. The height of hoods is also increasing EU-wide, according to a study by Transport & Environment, the international umbrella organization of the VCÖ.
This development began in the USA and negatively affects traffic safety, said Katharina Jaschinsky from the VCÖ. "In accidents, cars with high fronts hit children on the head instead of the pelvis, adult pedestrians on the pelvis or upper body instead of at knee height," she is quoted in the release. A previous international study, based on 300,000 traffic accidents, shows that with an increase in front height from 80 to 90 centimeters, the risk of death for pedestrians and cyclists increases by 27 percent.
Risk of Death for Pedestrians Increases
Compared to a collision with conventional cars, the risk of fatal accidents for children is 82 percent higher when they are hit by a large SUV, pick-up, or small van, according to another survey. For children under ten years, it is even 130 percent higher, it was stated. This is according to a meta-study published in May, which included the results of 26 studies with data from a total of 650,000 traffic accidents. Additionally, tests show that high hoods restrict drivers' visibility of other road users.
Restrictions Demanded
The VCÖ and Transport & Environment called on the EU Commission to limit car fronts. Austria should also introduce a penalty in the standard consumption tax and the motor-related insurance tax for cars with fronts over 90 centimeters. Parking fee gradations based on vehicle size, as in Basel, Aachen, and Koblenz, are also sensible against the XXL trend in new cars.
(APA/Red)
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