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