Cut SUV use to reduce harm, says BMJ
Feature image is a spoof ad posted in Southwark underground station in London by the Badvertising campaign
The British Medical Journal (BMJ) has published an editorial calling for swift action against SUVs and larger cars to reduce harms from road danger and air pollution.
“Action is needed locally, nationally, and internationally to curb sales of new SUVs and to reduce their presence in urban areas”
write the authors of the editorial.
https://www.suv-alliance.org.uk/blog/cut-suv-use-to-reduce-harm-says-bmj
The BMJ article states:
Sports utility vehicles (SUVs) are passenger cars that have a chassis with extra ground clearance and are generally taller, wider, and heavier than other models. Once a niche vehicle for offroad driving, SUVs now make up half of new car sales globally, up from 15% in 2010.1 In the UK, SUVs accounted for 63% of new sales in 2024, compared with 12% in 2010. The proliferation of SUVs is one aspect of the wider trend of “carspreading,” whereby cars are becoming steadily larger over time,23 and with this comes potential harms to health.
In a collision, pedestrians and cyclists are at greater risk if hit by an SUV than by a regular car.45 A recent systematic review found a 44% relative increase in the likelihood of death for an adult pedestrian or cyclist hit by a SUV or similarly large car compared with a standard car.4 For children there was an 82% relative increase in the likelihood of death.
https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj.r2162.full?ijkey=SRd7CNa7U51znQy&keytype=ref
Small electric cars were said to be the future – but SUVs now rule the road
This is despite predictions from the United Nations of an inevitable pivot towards smaller and more environmentally friendly vehicles because of the urgency of the climate crisis and the rising cost of living.
That pivot has not materialised: globally, 54% of the cars sold in 2024 were SUVs, including petrol, diesel, hybrids and electric makes. This is an increase of three percentage points from 2023 and five percentage points from the year before, according to GlobalData, external.
Of the SUVs which are now on the road – both new and older models – 95% are burning fossil fuels, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c778ekg64mjo
The Observer view on SUVs: they are too dangerous and too big, their drivers should be made to pay
Britain is facing an unusual crisis: carspreading. Our road vehicles are getting bigger as people buy more and more SUVs of increasing dimensions and weight. At the same time, our streets and parking places remain the same size.
A study by the European Transport Safety Council found that in a collision between a modest-size SUV (sports utility vehicle) weighing 1,600kg and a lighter car weighing 1,300kg, the risk of fatal injury decreases by 50% for the occupants of the heavier car but increases by almost 80% for the occupants of the lighter car. Similarly, pedestrians and cyclists are more likely to be killed if the car that strikes them has a bonnet that is higher off the road than average, a typical feature of an SUV.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/06/the-observer-view-on-suvs-they-are-too-dangerous-and-too-big-their-drivers-should-be-made-to-pay
Rise of ‘Carspreading’: UK car owners say supersized SUVs “not necessary in towns and cities”
Campaigners are warning about the new phenomenon of ‘carspreading’ with supersized SUVs crowding out space in towns and cities compared to the average sized car.
- Majority of UK passenger car owners think more SUVs “will make parking more difficult” and are “not necessary in towns and cities”
- SUV sales are at record levels in 2024 in UK – 62% of new car sales – while Paris cuts numbers using on street parking by two-thirds
- New coalition calls for higher sales taxes and parking charges for larger SUVs to tackle ‘carspreading’
- Clean Cities group asking for members of the public to share their worst examples of #carspreading on social media
https://cleancitiescampaign.org/rise-of-carspreading-uk/
Mega SUVs leave too little space for other road users
New cars in Europe are getting 1 cm wider every two years, on average. That’s according to research by Transport & Environment (T&E) which says the trend will continue due to the rising sales of SUVs – unless lawmakers take action.
Around half of new cars sold are already too wide for the minimum on-street parking space in many countries. Paris could be the first major European capital to tackle this trend if citizens endorse higher parking charges for SUVs in a referendum.
https://www.transportenvironment.org/articles/cars-are-getting-1-cm-wider-every-two-years-research