Utes and SUVs make up 9 out of 10 of the most popular cars on our roads - but a new study has revealed the safety risks they pose.

Research from the journal Injury Prevention shows that a pedestrian or cyclist is 44 percent more likely to be fatally injured if they are hit by an SUV or light truck (LTV), compared with smaller passenger cars.

For children, the stats are even more bleak - a child hit by a SUV or LTV is 82 percent more likely to be killed than a child hit by a passenger car. 

Physicist and science writer Laurie Winkless explains further.

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