Bicyclists More Likely to Suffer Serious Injuries in SUV Car Accidents

While bicyclists may be at risk of suffering serious personal injuries in any type of car accident, their risk of suffering fatal injuries increases significantly when they are involved in an auto accident with an SUV.

Larger  vehicles like SUVs and pickup trucks have recently come under the scanner for the increased risk of serious personal injuries to the occupants of the smaller car involved in an auto accident with these vehicles.  It is  not just occupants of smaller passenger cars involved in car accidents with these larger vehicles who may be at risk of severe personal injuries.  Bicyclists and other vulnerable  users of the roads may also be at serious risk of personal injury when they are involved in an auto accident with a larger vehicle.

A new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds that when an SUV strikes a bicyclist, he is  much more likely to fall on the ground instead of landing on the front of the car. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, when an SUV hits  a bicyclist, he is struck much higher on his body which causes him to be thrown on to the ground. A pedestrian will often land on the hood of the car. Impact  with the ground can increase his risks of suffering catastrophic injuries including severe fractures, a brain injury and spine injuries.  Landing on the ground can also increase his chances of being run over by the vehicle, resulting in severe injuries or wrongful death.

An auto accident that results in ground impact is at least twice as likely in car accidents involving SUVs compared to other vehicles. There have been earlier studies conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that have pointed to the higher risks to pedestrians and bicyclists from SUV accidents. It is important to note that this does not mean the risk of personal injury is low when a bicyclist is struck by a car that is not a SUV. To the contrary, the disparity between the weight and size of car compared to a bicycle almost always results in significant injuries to the cyclist. It is just that the injuries are often more severe when the car is an SUC.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there has been a significant increase in the number of people being killed in bicycle accidents across the country over the last decade.  In 2010, a total of 621 people were killed in bicycle accidents and that number rose to 932 bicyclists in 2020.  The researchers speculate that this spike could possibly be a result of the increase  in the number of SUVs and pick up trucks on our roads.