Lefler,page 1 THE EMERGING THREAT OF LIGHT TRUCK IMPACTS WITH PEDESTRIANS

In the United States, passenger vehicles are shifting from a fleet populated primarily by cars to a fleet dominated by light trucks and vans (LTVs). Because light trucks are heavier, stiffer, and geometrically more blunt than passenger cars, they pose a dramatically different type of threat to pedestrians. This paper will investigate the effect of striking vehicle type on pedestrian fatalities and injuries. The paper will present and compare pedestrian impact risk factors for sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, vans, and cars as developed from analyses of U.S. accident statistics.