UK study: SUV buyers undeterred by pedestrian‑safety warnings
A UK study found many prospective buyers ignore warnings that SUVs increase danger to pedestrians and urged financial penalties to cut the number of large vehicles on roads. A meta-analysis cited in the research found adult pedestrians struck by SUVs are 44% more likely to be killed than if hit by a smaller car, rising to 82% higher for children. The paper highlights policy precedents, noting Paris tripled SUV parking charges in 2024 and that Transport for London is considering extra charges, and it recommends similar taxes or fees. Those penalties, the authors say, could reduce SUV sales, lower pedestrian deaths, and reshape urban streets dominated by oversized vehicles.
#SUVs: The psychopath's choice. “Buying whatever vehicle we like, and driving it wherever and whenever we please without having to think about the consequences for other people, has become normalised and ingrained across our society over decades." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
LibLabGreen Barbara7While being the loudest and most numerous complainers about potholes, SUV drivers are the biggest cause of damage to roads, especially the electric or battery powered ones.
Richard Osborne6Maybe if you have chosen to drive a vehicle which is proven to be more dangerous, that should be reflected in sentencing if you do cause harm.
An Old Man2People think they have a right. It's selfishness and egoism that have become engrained.
Studies : "Your SUV is more likely to kill someone, especially a child" SUV drivers : "Meh"
Leslie 🐾🌱🌈10Those things are idiotic, none of us need to be driving tanks. Bring back small cars. My parents, 2 siblings and I fit fine in a Renault 5, growing up in the 80s and 90s.
Russell England 4From the British Medical Journal in April 2025
nearlytoolate4Not a surprise. No one thinks they will be driving into kids. We’re all above average drivers right? (And they are partly bought to protect the kids inside)
Spartacuss - 🇵🇸 🇱🇧 🇨🇺 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇬🇱 🇪🇺 🏴3It would be helpful to understand which cars they classify in as SUV. My Ioniq 5 is classified as a compact crossover SUV. But to look at its sloping bonnet and to drive it you wouldn't think it has any relationship with an SUV except a slightly higher driving position and maybe width.
Von Neely2Cute how they think SUV owners are capable of caring about anyone but themselves.
ISman2SUV , sports utility villain
rb-citizen 🌏🦘 🇵🇸🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🍉2We had design rules for cars that would protect pedestrians - crushable impact zones, frontal areas designed to have any person hit end up on the bonnet, not under the car. Bring back those rules, for all vehicles.
dpengelly.bsky.social2It needs to be a formal safety rating vehicle and vehicles that are in the high risk area, must display a viable warning on the dash. With the rating it is likely insurers will apply rates appropriate to the risk.
Anatole LG 🇪🇺🇺🇦🇬🇧🇩🇪🇫🇷2Mostly old white men ( and their female counterparts) who like the feel of power and potency to make them feel superior to the underdogs in their cheap small cars. Same in Germany. They're all driving cars they cannot even use properly! Most of them don't even know how to operate them properly 🙈
Shocked, shocked to learn that 4x4 drivers generally don’t care how dangerous their vehicles are. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Sean Wallis3As a London cyclist, I am often concerned at the safety of 4x4 drivers (parked or moving). But for a long time the main menace used to be Prius drivers. There are a number of possible reasons for this. Subjectively, it appeared that they had paid so much for the vehicle that they owned the road.
Dave2They should be required by law to wear hi-vis vests at all times
