Over the last couple decades, more people in the US and the UK have been buying SUVs and pickup trucks instead of sedans, station wagons, and mini-vans, despite not needing the off-road or hauling capabilities of such vehicles.
- Trucks And SUVs Are Now Over 80 Percent Of New Car Sales In The U.S, Jalopnik
- Top 10 best-selling cars in the US, CNBC (8/10 are pickups or SUVs)

The increase is largely due to increased advertising, and because car manufacturers have financial incentives to sell 'light trucks' due to government regulations and gaps therein.
- The real reason trucks have taken over U.S. roadways, The Washington Post
- Mindgames on wheels, badvertising

Many drivers perceive larger vehicles to be safer at the expense of other drivers and especially pedestrians, and US pedestrian deaths have been rising rapidly since 2009. This is largely the result of, or at least exacerbated by, driving attitudes and bumper height.
- Bigger Cars Lead to More Risk Taking, Journal of Consumer Policy
- SUVs, other large vehicles often hit pedestrians while turning, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety