Cars are getting bigger on US roads, and that’s increasing pedestrian and cyclist deaths. A transport scholar identifies community-level strategies for making streets safer.

Bigger vehicles can be safer in crashes, but far more dangerous for pedestrians.

And the average size of cars and trucks in the U.S. continues to grow. Some current models – like that of the Toyota Rav4 – are a third larger than they were only 15 years ago.

That’s led to a 77% increase in pedestrian fatalities since 2010.