The safety arms race making our roads more dangerous

History · Published 18 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Why are cars getting bigger? It is a phenomenon known as autobesity. While drivers buy larger vehicles to feel safer, this creates a spiraling effect that increases kinetic energy on the road and makes collisions more lethal for everyone else.

Autobesity—or car bloat—describes the trend since the 1990s of vehicles increasing in average size and weight. European car weights grew by 21% from 2001 until 2022. American trends are distinct; new vehicle sales for SUVs and pickups jumped from 38% in 2009 to over 75% during 2024.

This trend is driven by a 'driver safety arms race.' Because heavier vehicles inflict more damage on lighter ones—a concept called crash incompatibility—drivers are incentivized to buy larger cars to protect themselves. This creates a prisoners' dilemma: while it may be individually rational for one driver to seek a larger vehicle, the collective result is a vicious circle of escalating mass that compromises overall traffic safety.

The consequences are multifaceted. Heavier vehicles have longer stopping distances and higher kinetic energy. Furthermore, taller profiles can block the line of sight for small children or strike pedestrians in the head and torso. Michael Anderson and Maximilian Auffhammer's study indicates that a 1,000 pounds weight difference in an impacting car raises death probability by 40-50%. Additionally, vehicles with blunt front ends are 45% more likely to cause pedestrian fatalities compared to smaller models.

Governments are beginning to intervene through weight-based taxes and parking fees in regions like France, Norway, and Washington, D.C. New proposals include a 'category B+' license for cars over 1,800 kg and mandates for manufacturers to use pedestrian crash test dummies, which could save an estimated 67 lives annually.

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