11:28 27-12-2025

Why bigger SUVs with taller hoods imperil pedestrians in Europe

A renewed debate is brewing in Europe over the rules of the game for the auto industry, and this time it’s not about engines but about the shape and size of bodies. According to the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E), new cars in the EU are getting larger year after year, and the fashion for boxy design and tall SUV front ends is starting to take a direct toll on pedestrian safety. The push for a tougher stance on the road may look impressive in showrooms, but out on city streets it sets a worrying tone.

The central concern is the flat, high-mounted front. T&E notes that the average hood height of new cars in Europe has been rising by roughly half a centimeter a year: from 76.9 cm in 2010 to 83.8 cm in 2024. The higher the nose, the higher the point of impact; in a collision the vehicle more often hits vital areas, and at speeds up to 50 km/h the chances increase that a person will be pulled under the car rather than thrown aside. A tall hood also degrades close-range visibility: T&E points to examples of large models where a driver may fail to notice a child standing directly in front of the vehicle. It’s a blind spot many owners don’t fully anticipate until a near miss reminds them.

Similar findings are echoed across the Atlantic. The U.S. IIHS, after analyzing crashes, also links the growth in size and taller front ends with a higher likelihood of fatal outcomes for pedestrians. Against this backdrop, more than 30 civic organizations have urged EU authorities to enshrine limits on the dimensions and shape of new vehicles in a reform package aimed at stopping vehicle bloat by 2035.