Many of the most popular new vehicles being sold could be required to be sold with a host of safety features as soon as Jan. 1, 2024.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-New York City, has proposed legislation (S.9528) that would require several safety features in vehicles weighing more than 3,000 pounds.

Hoylman wants to see those vehicles, and anything bigger, to be sold with active intelligent speed assist, advanced emergency braking, emergency lane keeping systems, blind spot information systems, drowsiness and distraction recognition technology, rear view camera sensor systems and event data recorders. The proposal would require blind spot information systems to also include cyclist and pedestrian detection technology, but further regulations would be developed by state officials.

Hoylman said in his legislative justification that traffic violence in New York City increased in 2021 to levels not seen in years. There were over 270 traffic-related deaths on city streets in 2021. In 2020 the city also set a record for traffic-related deaths with 243.

“The unfortunate trends we are witnessing add up to a crisis. Each death is preventable. A multifaceted approach to street safety is necessary to keep our pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and all road users safe,” Hoylman wrote in his legislative justification. “Vehicle technology has advanced significantly in recent years, with advanced safety features now available that have the potential to greatly reduce injuries and deaths on our roadways. We must use every tool available to us to keep New York safe.”

A study released earlier this year by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety pointed to vehicles getting bigger as reasons for rising pedestrian deaths on U.S. roads. The Associated Press reported earlier this year that National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data showed in 2020 there were 6,519 pedestrians killed in the U.S., a 59% increase from 2009 and a 4% increase from 2019.

Over the same time period, the AP reported, SUV and pickup truck sales have skyrocketed. In 2009, pickup trucks, SUVs and vans accounted for 47% of all U.S. new vehicle sales, according to Motorintelligence.com. Last year, light trucks were more than three-quarters of new vehicle sales. The study also found that the larger vehicles were more likely than cars to be involved in crashes where pedestrians were standing, walking or running near the edge of the road and away from intersections.

Hoylman’s legislation doesn’t single out larger types of vehicles by name, but the reference to a 3,000 pound curb weight would mean the safety requirement applies to vehicles bigger than the 2022 models of the Jeep Cherokee, Chevrolet Blazer, Ford Bronco, Nissan Xterra and Suzuki Vitara/Grand Vitara, typically known as mid-sized sport-utility vehicles.

“The link between these vehicle types and certain common pedestrian crashes points to another way that the increase in SUVs on the roads might be changing the crash picture,” said Jessica Cicchino, a study author and vice president of research for the institute.

The Associated Press also cited a Consumer Reports study that found high hoods obstructed driver views of pedestrians crossing in front of vehicles. The magazine and website found that pickup truck hood heights have risen 11% since 2000. The hood of a 2017 Ford F-250 heavy-duty pickup was 55 inches off the ground, as tall as the roofs of some cars.

“To see over that high hood, you’re going to be looking further down the road,” said Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at Consumer Reports’ auto test center, to the AP.