The Reason Why Are Trucks Getting Bigger

"Bigger trucks pose a greater hazard to pedestrians and smaller vehicles"

It's an arms race.

I used to live near a couple who were both doctors in the ER and they both drive the biggest trucks that they could find because they saw that people in large trucks tended to be fare better in accidents.

I have a small sedan for myself and a smallish SUV for my wife and kids. I feel pressure to upgrade both to something larger.

You’ll be happy to know that pickups are actually more dangerous for their driver. Mostly because they’re more likely to spin out or roll over.

> You’ll be happy to know that pickups are actually more dangerous for their driver. Mostly because they’re more likely to spin out or roll over.

Just a consideration: Would integrating 5-point harnesses and an rollover cage into these trucks help to mitigate this problem? (I am of course aware that the latter would make to truck even heavier)

A HAND (head and neck device) could help, as could a roll cage (most vehicles have some roll protection built in - you can see cars and trucks stacked on top of each other at junkyards). Five point harness is a bit better than a normal belt, but we already have a significant number of vehicle fatalities where the occupants are not wearing the belts provided already. So it could make it worse as five-point is more annoying.

Arguably the strengthening of the roll-cage in vehicles has lead to the a-pillar problem. https://www.thewisedrive.com/the-a-pillar-problem/ - my small modern car has a much wider a-pillar than my massive boat from the 60s.