New cars are supposed to be getting safer. So why are fatalities on the rise?

By TRAVIS LOLLER
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Government test data shows new passenger vehicles in the U.S. are extremely safe, but roadway deaths are steadily rising. Some of the biggest increases are deaths of pedestrians and cyclists. That surge has coincided with a steep rise in sales of SUVs and pickup trucks. Experts say the height and boxy front ends of many of those vehicles create large blind spots. They also hit pedestrians higher in the body than sedans, meaning hits more often result in serious injury or death. U.S. safety ratings only consider the safety of people inside a vehicle. But a coalition of transportation safety groups wants the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to begin factoring the safety of those outside vehicles into its 5-star safety ratings.