Visual Consequences of Greater Hood Heights in Larger Passenger Vehicles
Wyatt Brown from the Bend, Oregon HDR office presented on the growing trend of purchasing light trucks with center hood heights which are relatively high compared to the average heights of wheelchairs and children. Varying heights of both pedestrians and drivers can make it very difficult for drivers to see pedestrians, especially if the stop bar setback from crosswalks is less than 4′. Wyatt described the study he and his team performed, as well as a case study in Colorado conducted after a tragic accident had occurred. Hopefully standards can be implemented in the future which significantly reduce the odds of any accident occurring due to the reduced visibility from vehicle hood heights. Thank you Wyatt for the insightful presentation and takeaways!
