Creator maps US pedestrian danger and points to big pickups — and a lack of walkable streets

Oversize pickup trucks can pose a serious danger to people on foot, particularly in places where driving is often the only practical way to get around. 

Oversize vehicles, impaired driving, and a lack of walkability can make a walk to a café or grocery store perilous.

Here's what to know

In a TikTok, Moles R Cool (@molesrcool) shared a color-coded map of pedestrian danger. 

"This map shows your likelihood of getting run over in the United States," he said. "Green is less likely; orange, red is more likely. Those places where you're more likely to get run over perfectly coincide with the states where the best-selling vehicle is an oversized pickup truck rather than something like a Tesla or a RA4." 

He added that those areas lack public transportation, trains, and walkable streets.

Drivers can struggle to spot even other cars in parking lots, the creator said, and the video showed images of a truck on top of a sports car and trucks that had plowed over infrastructure such as bollards.

More background

Impairment can compound the danger, Moles R Cool said, noting that six of the top 10 vehicles for DUIs were pickups and that the Ram 2500 had 45.3 DUIs per 1,000 drivers while the national average is 17.9.

"My semi truck has better front visibility than most pickup trucks," one commenter wrote.

Someone else said, "Yikes!!!!!!!"

"I'm a retired firefighter paramedic, and I really appreciate your work in explaining this," another user stated. "People don't realize. It's devastating. I have hated watching vehicles get bigger and bigger all the time."

A fourth person said: "I'm in Texas and riding a bike even in Austin is tough. People likeeee want???? to hit you."

What can be done?

The creator was unconvinced that cameras could fix oversize trucks' visibility problems.

"Large pickups should require a special, expensive license and the excise tax should be 5x higher than other consumer vehicles," one commenter proposed.

That idea reflects frustration with placing the responsibility for avoiding collisions on pedestrians and cyclists.

"I just want people to be able to walk to the coffee shop or the grocery store without fearing getting run over by a Chevy F-150," Moles R Cool concluded. "It's not that much to ask."

Commenters caught the intentional mislabeling.

"Chevy F-150 is such great ragebait," one wrote.

Where can I learn more?

Oversize trucks add to the challenges of getting around in places built for cars.

• Living in a walkable neighborhood can change errands, spending, and time outside.

• In Florida, a critic argued that walkability without public transit fell short of residents' needs.

• Across the U.S., Americans embrace walkable vacation destinations while resisting similar neighborhoods at home.

• America's suburbs promised freedom, but car-dependent living brought isolation alongside driving and yard work.

• In Tennessee, a creator said buses every 10-20 minutes can help cities break car dependency.

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