The rising, squared-off SUV front
As SUVs have grown taller and adopted more upright front ends, their hoods and grilles have moved higher. That shape can change where a vehicle hits a pedestrian. A lower car often strikes the legs first, rotating the person onto the hood. A high, blunt front is more likely to hit the pelvis or torso directly, exposing more vulnerable parts of the body to the impact and potentially knocking the person beneath the vehicle.
The issue is not simply that SUVs are larger. Front-end height and shape help determine how a collision transfers force to a person. Greater vehicle weight can add to the force, but even at similar speeds, the point of contact affects the injuries a pedestrian may suffer.
The same height can hide a person, too
A taller hood also creates a larger area close in front of the driver that is difficult to see. This blind area can make it harder to spot a small child or someone low to the ground when the vehicle is pulling forward. Cameras and sensors can help, but they do not change the physical geometry of the front end or eliminate the consequences of a collision.
That is why an apparently modest styling choice—a higher hood with a more vertical face—has consequences beyond appearance. It changes both what the driver can see and how the vehicle meets a person in its path.
