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Safety for whom? The effects of light trucks on traffic fatalities

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  • Anderson, Michael

Abstract

Light trucks have doubled their share of the vehicle fleet from 1980 to 2004. This paper examines the effects of this increase on traffic safety, combining estimates from a state-level panel data set with an accident-level micro-data set. The results suggest that a one-percentage point increase in light truck share raises annual traffic fatalities by 0.34%, or 143 deaths per year. Of this increase, approximately one-fifth accrue to the light trucks' own occupants, and the remaining four-fifths accrue to the occupants of other vehicles and pedestrians. Using standard value of life figures, the implied Pigovian tax is approximately 3850 dollars per light truck sold. Overall, light trucks pose a significant hazard to other users of the highway system but on average provide no additional protection to their own occupants.

Suggested Citation

  • Anderson, Michael, 2008. "Safety for whom? The effects of light trucks on traffic fatalities," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt1mb4m7qz, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:agrebk:qt1mb4m7qz
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    Cited by:

    1. Lauren E. Jones & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2017. "U.S. Child Safety Seat Laws: Are they Effective, and Who Complies?," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(3), pages 584-607, June.
    2. Nehiba, Cody & Tyndall, Justin, 2023. "Highways and pedestrian deaths in US neighborhoods," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    3. Qiang Chen & Tianyang Han & Jin Li & Ye Luo & Zigan Wang & Yuxiao Wu & Xiaowei Zhang & Tuo Zhou, 2025. "Can AI Master Econometrics? Evidence from Econometrics AI Agent on Expert-Level Tasks," Papers 2506.00856, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2026.
    4. Lauren E. Jones & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2016. "Successful Scientific Replication and Extension of Levitt (2008): Child Seats are Still No Safer Than Seat Belts," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(5), pages 920-928, August.
    5. Tyndall, Justin, 2021. "Pedestrian deaths and large vehicles," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 26.
    6. Tyndall, Justin, 2024. "The effect of front-end vehicle height on pedestrian death risk," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    7. Ralph Buehler & John Pucher, 2023. "Overview of Walking Rates, Walking Safety, and Government Policies to Encourage More and Safer Walking in Europe and North America," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-24, March.
    8. Peter Wells & Malcolm J Beynon, 2011. "Corruption, Automobility Cultures, and Road Traffic Deaths: The Perfect Storm in Rapidly Motorizing Countries?," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 43(10), pages 2492-2503, October.
    9. Michael L. Anderson & Maximilian Auffhammer, 2014. "Pounds That Kill: The External Costs of Vehicle Weight," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 81(2), pages 535-571.
    10. Tommaso Pardi & Marc Alochet & Bernard Jullien & Samuel Klebaner, 2024. "European Regulations for an Affordable Sustainable (Battery) Electric Vehicle," Post-Print hal-04878220, HAL.
    11. Liu, Yizao, 2017. "Safer or cheaper? Traffic safety, vehicle choices and the effect of new corporate average fuel economy standards," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 99-112.
    12. Sebastian Martinez & Raul Sanchez & Patricia Yañez-Pagans, 2019. "Road safety: challenges and opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean," Latin American Economic Review, Springer;Centro de Investigaciòn y Docencia Económica (CIDE), vol. 28(1), pages 1-30, December.
    13. Oster, Clinton V. & Strong, John S., 2013. "Analyzing road safety in the United States," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 98-111.
    14. Castillo-Manzano, José I. & Castro-Nuño, Mercedes & Fageda, Xavier, 2016. "Exploring the relationship between truck load capacity and traffic accidents in the European Union," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 94-109.
    15. Tscharaktschiew, Stefan, 2016. "The private (unnoticed) welfare cost of highway speeding behavior from time saving misperceptions," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 7, pages 24-37.
    16. Aney, Madhav S. & Ho, Christine, 2019. "Deadlier road accidents? Traffic safety regulations and heterogeneous motorists’ behavior," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 155-171.
    17. Van Ommeren, Jos & Rietveld, Piet & Zagha Hop, Jack & Sabir, Muhammad, 2013. "Killing kilos in car accidents: Are external costs of car weight internalised?," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 2(2), pages 86-93.
    18. French, Michael T. & Gumus, Gulcin, 2014. "Macroeconomic fluctuations and motorcycle fatalities in the U.S," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 187-193.
    19. Sojung Carol Park & Sangeun Han, 2017. "Externalities From Driving Luxury Cars," Risk Management and Insurance Review, American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 20(3), pages 391-427, December.
    20. Nehiba, Cody, 2020. "Taxed to death? Freight truck collision externalities and diesel taxes," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    21. Shanjun Li, 2012. "Traffic safety and vehicle choice: quantifying the effects of the ‘arms race’ on American roads," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 34-62, January.

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