There are also changes that increase pedestrian harm, like the arms race in the height of front ends of SUVs[1] and trucks.
Recent trends in vehicle purchases also increase pedestrian harm, as the popularity of sedans has waned in favor of SUVs and trucks. These days 72% of vehicle sales are for SUVs and trucks[2], and the trend is expected to continue into the future.
Saying "72% of vehicle sales are trucks and SUVs" in the context of pedestrian safety is highly disingenuous when a huge slice of that is crossovers that are mostly sold globally and conform to European requirements for pedestrian safety.
Hitting one's head on the windshield is/was the source of a lot of the pedestrian injury and fatalities and modern safety requirements try and prevent this outcome.
Would you rather get hit by a'21 CRV or a '95 LeBaron? CRV seems like the obvious choice.
Of course there's a lot more big trucks to hit you on the roads in 2021 but improvements in pretty much every smaller class of vehicle do a lot to balance that out.
Looking at the data I don't see any clear trend that pedestrians are at more risk today than in the past.
Recent trends in vehicle purchases also increase pedestrian harm, as the popularity of sedans has waned in favor of SUVs and trucks. These days 72% of vehicle sales are for SUVs and trucks[2], and the trend is expected to continue into the future.
[1] https://www.codot.gov/safety/traffic-safety-pulse/2019/march...
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/21/business/suv-sales-best-s...