Call to Action:

Please email your local City Councillor to tell them that it's time that bigger vehicles pay for the parking space that they use. Fair is fair!

More should cost more, even for a parking space (Apr 10, 2026)

Oversized Danger

Pickup trucks and large SUVs pose acute danger to cyclists and pedestrians because of their weight, driver blind spots, and especially front-end vehicle height.

Our coalition 

The Coalition to Reduce Auto Size Hazards (CRASH) advocates for law reform at every level of government to rein in the deadly harms of pickups and large SUVs to pedestrians and cyclists. At the municipal level, we call for higher parking fees and updated municipal purchasing policies. At the provincial level, we push for death reviews by Chief Coroners/Chief Medical Officers as well as scalable vehicle registration fees based on vehicle size. And federally, we call for safety warnings on pickup ads and changes to vehicle design features, especially for vehicle front-ends.

Our report

 Oversized Danger: Report and Recommendations to Address the Danger of Pickups and Large SUVs to Pedestrians and Cyclists in Canada.

The central problem

A report by Dr. Justin Tyndall carefully outlines the higher fatality risk of pickups (and large SUVs) --- relative to regular cars --- to pedestrians. A 10cm increase in front end height translates into a 22% increase in fatality risk to pedestrians. See: Economics of Transportation article, “The effect of front-end vehicle height on pedestrian death risk”.

Background

Since 2022, the Coalition to Reduce Auto Size Hazards (CRASH) has grown into 27 groups nation-wide. 

In January 2023, representatives of the original coalition met with Ontario Chief Coroner, Dr. Dirk Huyer to discuss the call to action. Although the coroner did not grant the call for a death review for crashes involving pickups and large SUVs, he did commit to working with the coalition in developing recommendations to curb the greater dangers of pickups and SUVs to pedestrians and cyclists.

On April 18, 2024, C.R.A.S.H. released its report, Oversized Danger: Report and Recommendations to Address the Danger of Pickups and Large SUVs to Pedestrians and Cyclists in Canada, outlining the problem, summarizing the research, and articulating eleven recommendations to federal, provincial, and municipal governments. The report was presented at a symposium at the University of Toronto hosted by the Centre for Cities (University of Windsor) and the Mobility Network (University of Toronto).

Les camionnettes et les gros VUS sont plus dangereux et plus mortels dans les accidents impliquant des piétons et des cyclistes que les voitures conventionnelles, qui servent généralement les mêmes objectifs. Un rapport du ministère des Transports de l'Ontario, par exemple, souligne qu'un piéton impliqué dans une collision avec un camion léger a 3,4 fois plus de risques de mourir que dans une collision avec une voiture conventionnelle. 

Dirigé par la Coalition pancanadienne pour réduire les risques liés à la taille des automobiles (C.R.A.S.H.), ce rapport expose l'urgence du problème, les recherches pertinentes et les recommandations d'action pour faire face au nombre inutile et tragique de morts et de blessures graves.

Les recommandations de la coalition – adressées à tous les niveaux de gouvernement – reposent sur une approche qui donne la priorité à la sécurité des piétons, qui incluent pratiquement tout le monde à un moment donné, et des cyclistes sur la voie publique.

Si vous ou votre association souhaitez soutenir ou rejoindre la coalition, ou si vous avez des commentaires ou des questions sur le rapport, veuillez écrire à (en français ou anglais):

Albert Koehl, avocat et coordonnateur, Community Bikeways, albert@koehl.ca

Chris Waters, professeur, Faculté de droit, Université de Windsor, cwaters@uwindsor.ca

A complete list of C.R.A.S.H. coalition members follows:

  • Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists (ARC)

  • Bike Calgary

  • Bike Law Canada

  • Bike Windsor Essex

  • Citizens Environment Alliance (Windsor)

  • Community Bikeways (TCBC)

  • Crane Institute for Sustainability

  • Cycle Hamilton

  • Cycle Toronto

  • CycleWR (Waterloo)

  • Environment Hamilton

  • Equiterre

  • Friends and Families for Safe Streets (FFSS)

  • Going the Extra Mile for Safety (GEMS)

  • Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation (GCAT)

  • Halifax Cycling Coalition

  • Hub Cycling (Vancouver)

  • London Cycle Link

  • Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders

  • Piétons Québec

  • Safe Parkside

  • Safe Streets Halton

  • TTC Riders

  • Vélo Canada Bikes

  • Walk 'n Roll Halifax

  • Walk Toronto

  • YEG Bike Coalition (Edmonton)

For more information, contact Albert Koehl (environmental lawyer, coordinator, Community Bikeways) and/or Prof. Christopher Waters (Faculty of Law, University of Windsor).

Resources

Media