A new study conducted by the New York Times found that the increase in average vehicle hood height over the last two decades has caused thousands of pedestrian deaths. The Times study used NHTSA crash data, NHTSA fatality reporting data, vehicle measurements from Expert AutoStats, and registration info from S&P Global.The Times investigation examines an often overlooked culprit behind the rise of pedestrian deaths, with most research instead focused on drunk and distracted driving.