Call for SUVs to be banned from towns and cities

A European safety council seeks a ban on sport utility vehicles  (SUVs) in towns and cities in an effort to cut down on deaths of pedestrians and cyclists in fatal accidents involving such vehicles, according to a report.

The European Transport Safety Council in a report called for swift action to tackle deaths of vulnerable road users.

According to figures, almost 70,000 pedestrian and cyclist casualties were reported in the European Union between 2010 and 2018.

“Research shows that the risk of severe injury or death for a pedestrian is higher in collisions with sport utility vehicles and vans compared to passenger cars,” the council said.

On the other hand, some crash test experts have contradicted the suggestion saying whilst SUVs are generally heavier, they do not necessarily pose “a greater threat” to pedestrian and cyclist safety.

The council said at least 51,300 pedestrians and 19,450 cyclists were killed on EU roads in eight years, with fatal accidents involving cyclists falling eight times slower than vehicle occupant fatalities.

The number of people killed in a vehicle fell by 3.1 per cent a year from 2010 to 2018, while cyclist fatalities dropped by just 0.4 per cent in the same period, it said in its latest report.

Commenting in the latest report, Graziella Jost, projects director at ETSC said: “Policies that improve the safety of cycling and walking can also make a major contribution to tackling all these challenges.

“Some EU countries, the Netherlands and Denmark in particular, are showing the way forward. If they can do it, so can the rest of the EU.”

This isn’t the first time the Brussel-based think tank has called for SUV use in cities to be restricted.

Back in May 2018 it also issued a report for the US called “Fatal collisions with pedestrians increasingly likely to involve SUVs and high-powered vehicles”. 

Euro NCAP, which provides crash ratings for new passenger cars, said the assumption that SUVs are more likely to harm pedestrians and cyclists is short-sighted.

A spokesperson said: “If cities want to have guidance, the Euro NCAP Vulnerable Road User Protection score is a useful indication, based on objective testing

“Cars with a good VRU score are cars that offer both passive and active protection.

“Referring to higher bumper and vehicle weight alone may lead to the wrong conclusion.”