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In the U.S., four in five cars sold last year were either SUVs or pickup trucks. That’s a far cry from even the 1990s, when that number was closer to 25% of all sales.
Many are buying these larger cars for convenience, comfort and the safety of them and their passengers in the car. However, while these large cars are good for those on the inside, they are more dangerous for those in smaller cars, cyclists and pedestrians. And our SUVs and pickup trucks are only getting bigger.
David Zipper from the MIT Mobility Initiative has been researching the dangers of our growing car size. He refers to the phenomenon as ‘car bloat’. He joined host Scott Tong back in February for more on the public health threat our growing cars pose.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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