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zang said:
I'd like to find a study that actually finds that people buy cars that are safer for the pedestrians they may hit.

Most studies about driver behavior has the majority of drivers believing they're a better driver than most others on the road. It's unlikely a purchase is calculated on "what if I'm not better"?
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People absolutely buy safer cars. Believe it or not, people don't want to get in collisions, and safety features are huge, huge sellers of vehicles. There is a reason Automakers splatter "IIHS Top Safety Pick" over all their car ads. I mean have you ever looked at a car brochure or watched a car ad? 20-30% of automotive marketing is dedicated to safety.

There is a lot of automotive technology which will be leading to reduced collisions (including those with pedestrians) which has been developed in the last 20 years. Think things like backup cameras (huge, and very well loved by the car buying public), automatic lane departure protection, automatic emergency braking, etc. These are all things that work to reduce pedestrian collisions which have become common features on cars by market demand, not regulation (backup cameras are mandated now, but they were very popular even before the mandate. all other features are not mandatory).

Some manufaturers have also done pretty extensive research in improving pedestrian safety - Volvo specifically, who usually leads the market in automotive safety features. They led the development of now common automatic emergency braking, and are now deploying features like Pedestrian Protection Systems which automatically raise the hood angle on the vehicle when a collision with a pedestrian is detected to better deflect the forces on the pedestrian:


Automatic emergency braking especially is huge in both reducing collisions and the severity of them as even if a collision can't be avoided, it reduces the speed at which it occurs. And it's not mandated by government at all despite being present on the vast majority of new vehicles sold today - even base model Honda Civic's have it. The NHTSA is not mandating it until 2029.
 
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innsertnamehere said:
People absolutely buy safer cars. Believe it or not, people don't want to get in collisions. There is a lot of automotive technology which will be leading to reduced collisions (including those with pedestrians) which has been developed in the last 20 years. Think things like backup cameras (huge, and very well loved by the car buying public), automatic lane departure protection, automatic emergency braking, etc. These are all things that work to reduce pedestrian collisions which have become common features on cars by market demand, not regulation (backup cameras are mandated now, but they were very popular even before the mandate. all other features are not mandatory).
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Yes, but they’re all arguably about the safety of the driver and protection of their property, rather than the safety of those outside the vehicle; be it pedestrians or other vehicles.

It’s been posited that some of the SUV trend is an arms race; that people feel safer in a larger vehicle on roads with an increasing number of large vehicles.
 
zang said:
Yes, but they’re all arguably about the safety of the driver and protection of their property, rather than the safety of those outside the vehicle; be it pedestrians or other vehicles.

It’s been posited that some of the SUV trend is an arms race; that people feel safer in a larger vehicle on roads with an increasing number of large vehicles.
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yes and no. I provided an example of some features Volvo offers which are designed specifically for pedestrians. Most of the features benefit both pedestrians and vehicle owners though as both have an interest in an avoided or reduced severity collision.

The vast majority of the SUV trend comes from a desire for a more comfortable, practical vehicle, as well as other various regulations. SUVs are easier to step in and out of, offer more practical cargo capacity, usually offer towing capabilities, and usually offer better sight-lines. I doubt the "arms race" of vehicle size plays a particularly large role, though it is probably a contributing factor.

Another component is the increase in disposable income (especially in the US) in the last 15 years and the fact that cars have generally increased in price below the rate of inflation - buyers have more money to simply buy "more" car today.
 
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turbanplanner said:
No, I'm pointing out Zang is being incredibly silly thinking he knows better what car people should buy vs the owners. I have a 2 seat car and it isn't as rugged as a truck. I've paid $5000 for vehicle repairs due to crap roads (suspension, windshields, bent wheels etc) the city and province have given back $0. Ironically my friends in trucks have paid $0 for those types of repairs. The fact I can't carry a pet, a couch, or even a TV is probably enough for most people to buy more a bigger car.
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I had a Mazda 3 for 13 years and the most repairs I had that could be attributed to rough roads is a control arm. Then, not Toronto rough. I replaced it with a a bigger car when it got totaled in a collision last year.
 
turbanplanner said:
So then, what are your courses of action for people who live in the city but need a larger vehicle for work? What about people who have pets, what about people who have cottages, etc.
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I don't think there should be restrictions (though regulatory stuff such as crash-impact and higher taxation for heavier vehicles is different.

But what do pets and cottages have to do with owning trucks, or any vehicle with a high nose? Trucks can easily have low noses. And carrying capacity of many of these SUVs is shockingly low compared to my simple and much cheaper Civic sedan (which I've noticed when renting SUVs while on vacation). We have no problems heading off in a compact car for a week at the cottage with all the stuff, and two cat cages.

Now, I wouldn't bring my horse that way ... :)

The best thing I've seen for carrying stuff to the cottage en masse has been a minivan. If this was what's it's about, we'd see more of those! Do you know how much stuff you could get into a decently-sized mini-van?
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Is similar rebuilding work going to have to be undertaken on the section of the Gardiner over the Bentway soon after this section is completed?
 
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