Federal Agency Proposes Adopting UN Rule to Reduce Pedestrian Casualties

Pedestrians cross Valencia Street in the Mission District in San Francisco, Calif., on June 5., 2024. Merchants reported that more residents shop locally after Valencia Street received safety improvements, like sidewalk widening and traffic-lane slimming. Christian Watjen/The Epoch Times

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Sept. 9 proposed adopting a new rule for heavy-weight vehicles such as SUVs and pickup trucks to decrease the risk of pedestrian injury or death, saving up to 67 lives a year.

With single-vehicle crashes resulting in 88 percent of pedestrian fatalities, the NHTSA said it is pushing for a new federal standard to ensure that “passenger vehicles are designed to reduce the risk of serious-to-fatal child and adult head injury in pedestrian crashes.” The standard involves improving the criterion for testing simulated head-to-hood impact.

The proposed rule stems from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law initiative to meet the United Nations Global Technical Regulations.

It would apply to passenger vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less, including SUVs, buses, vans, and light trucks.

“We have a crisis of roadway deaths, and it’s even worse among vulnerable road users like pedestrians,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman said in a statement.

“Between 2013 and 2022, pedestrian fatalities increased 57 percent from 4,779 to 7,522. This proposed rule will ensure that vehicles will be designed to protect those inside and outside from serious injury or death. We will continue to work to make our roads safer for everyone and help protect vulnerable road users.”

The U.N. rules set requirements for door locks, motorcycle brakes, and electronic stability control systems, among others. Regulation No. 9 covers pedestrian safety and says its requirements will “significantly reduce the levels of injury sustained by pedestrians involved in frontal impacts with motor vehicles.”

According to the U.N. regulations, the final phase of a collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian is the head and chest striking the vehicle.

“Through the pedestrian accidents analysis, it has been concluded that child and adult heads and adult legs are the body regions most affected by contact with the front end of vehicles,” the U.N. regulation report states.

“On vehicles, the bumper, the bonnet top, and the windscreen area, including the A-pillars, are the vehicle regions mostly identified with a high potential for contact.” The A-pillar is part of a vehicle’s roof support structure.

The NHTSA is accepting public comments on the proposed rule for 60 days.