SUVs with high bonnets ‘clear threat' to pedestrians, study finds
The height of Irish car bonnets is increasing every year, putting pedestrians' lives at risk, a new study has found.
The report by Transport & Environment (T&E), a Brussels based advocacy group on sustainable transport, found that the average bonnet height of newly-sold cars in Ireland rose from 77.38cm in 2011 to 83.67cm in 2024.
Ireland is 'very similar to the European average', which stood at 83.8cm in 2024, a representative from T&E said.
When bonnet heights rise from 80cm to 90cm, it raises the risk of death by 27 per cent for road users such as pedestrians and cyclists, the report states, citing 2023 data from a
Belgian road safety institute
.
READ MORE
T&E also commissioned tests from Loughborough University in the UK to examine the risks to children from SUVs with high bonnets. It found that a driver of a Land Rover Defender is not able to see a child aged up to 4½, based on average height, at the front of the vehicle.
High bonnets also compromise a driver's vision at junctions, which can increase crashes, particularly when turning,
the study
found. It describes the rising heights as a 'clear and growing threat to public safety, especially for children'.
Asked about the findings, the director of Ireland's
Medical Bureau of Road Safety
Denis Cusack said that, while he had yet to consider the report, he was aware of the dangers that vehicles with high bonnets can have.
He stressed the importance of having maximum speed limits in residential areas, saying that 'if children are out playing, the driver's up higher, so they've got to be very careful'.
[
Sorry, kids. We blew your climate budget - but we really love our SUVs
Opens in new window
]
Dr Cusack said 'unlike an adult, who may end up being hit somewhere on the leg', a child 'could end up being hit, depending on their height, on the abdomen, the tummy, the chest, or even the head'.
T&E has called on European lawmakers to cap bonnet heights by 2035. They are recommending a maximum height of 85cm for bonnets on new cars from 2035, subject to further study.
There is no legal limit to bonnet heights in Europe.
The organisation has also called on national governments to put higher vehicle and road taxes on bigger cars.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
6 hours ago
- Irish Times
Motor insurance premiums rise almost 10%, according to latest data
The increasing cost of motor insurance premiums , with the latest official data pointing to a jump of almost 10 per cent year on year, has led to the junior Minister with oversight of the area to express his concern. According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the cost of motor insurance climbed by 8.4 per cent over the last 12 months, more than four times the general rate of inflation which was put at 1.7 per cent. The recent jump in prices comes on top of multiple increases in 2023 and 2024 with the average cost of a premium said to be well in excess of €600 as a result. 'The year-on-year increase in motor insurance is concerning, despite prices being over a third lower since their 2016 peak,' said the Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Financial Services, Credit Unions, and Insurance, Robert Troy. READ MORE 'While recent reforms in the sector have had a positive impact, it is clear that more needs to be done from a policy perspective to ensure that consumers are getting access to cheaper premiums.' More engagement with the Injuries Board has led to a reduction of 30 per cent in respect of motor injury claims and 41 per cent in respect of awards values over a six-year review period covered by a recent report. [ Opens in new window ] There have been substantial changes to the motor insurance sector over recent months that have made it harder for people driving without insurance to escape detection. Reforms have also brought about greater transparency when it comes to claims and driver behaviour all of which suggest g the cost of premiums should be on a downward trajectory. Will rent reform make building apartments viable? Listen | 40:12 However that has not been happening with some motorists now paying more than €200 for cover now than they were just three years ago. The Minister for State said that is his meetings with 'the main insurance players since taking office, I have underlined my expectation that savings arising from these reforms be passed on to consumers. ' He said that a public consultation on the new Action Plan for Insurance Reform has been completed and reviewed by officials in the Department of Finance. 'Insurance reform is a key priority for me and this Government, and we will be in a position to publish this Action Plan over the summer,' he continued. He said it was his intention that the plan would l focus on a 'series of targeted actions which can have meaningful impact for consumers, including an expansion of the Office to Promote Competition in the Insurance Market.'
Irish Times
8 hours ago
- Irish Times
BYD brings EV price wars to small cars in Europe
BYD has launched its cheapest and smallest electric vehicle (EV) in the UK, as it takes Chinese carmakers' battle for affordability in Europe into a compact-car segment that has remained stubbornly reliant on the internal combustion engine. The Dolphin Surf, with a starting price of £18,650 (€21,874.03), is the British equivalent of BYD's popular Seagull hatchback, which is priced at less than £6,000 in China amid a price war in the world's largest car market. 'Compact cars are the next frontier for electrification in Europe,' BYD's executive vice-president Stella Li said at a recent launch event in Rome, noting the electric transition had been slower for small cars than for bigger sport utility vehicles. According to the International Energy Agency, of the 360 EV models available in Europe last year, only 33 were in the small car segment. An additional 23 compact models are expected to be launched this year. READ MORE Compact cars have taken longer to shift away from petrol engines due to thin profit margins and the difficulty of making them both affordable and moneymaking with the high price of batteries. BYD, the leading EV maker, announced an assault on the Japanese small-car market last month, with plans to release a low-cost battery-powered Kei car next year. The boxy minicar would be cheaper than the compact Dolphin, which sells for 2.9 million yen (€17,839) in Japan. [ New car owners increasingly opting for electric or hybrid over petrol or diesel Opens in new window ] Even before Dolphin Surf's European debut a few weeks earlier at a price below €23,000, rival compact EV offerings from the Renault 5 and Citroën ë-C3 to the Dacia Spring had already hit the markets with similar or lower prices. Chinese brands have adopted a pricing strategy in Europe that is more restrained than in their home market, especially with Brussels imposing higher tariffs on imports of Chinese-made EVs since last year. Still, BYD's expansion into all car segments in Europe is set to accelerate its overseas growth. The market share of BYD and other Chinese brands in the UK and on the continent has grown from 2.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2024 to 4.8 per cent in the first four months of 2025, according to Schmidt Automotive Research. Will rent reform make building apartments viable? Listen | 40:12 The UK, which has not imposed higher tariffs on Chinese EVs, now accounts for nearly a third of all Chinese-brand models entering western Europe. According to UK online marketplace Auto Trader, stocks of Chinese EVs for sale between January and April increased tenfold year-on-year, with more than 3,300 cars for sale. That represented nearly 3 per cent of new car stock for sale on the marketplace compared with 0.2 per cent a year earlier. Analysts say there is more room for prices to come down for smaller electric cars as western carmakers use cheaper lithium iron phosphate batteries to compete against Chinese rivals, which are increasing local production in Europe to avoid the tariffs. [ EV Q&A: Why doesn't Ireland use roadside furniture for charging electric vehicles? Opens in new window ] Renault and Volkswagen are using Chinese engineering expertise as well as components made in China to speed up vehicle development and lower the costs of compact EVs due to be launched next year. 'Once they start coming to the market, we will see price deflation,' said automotive analyst Matthias Schmidt. Cao Li, senior vice-president of Stellantis-backed Chinese carmaker Leapmotor, told journalists on Wednesday that the convergence of car prices for EVs and petrol cars was a broad trend in the European market. Some Chinese car executives fear the bruising price war in their home market could spill over into Europe. However, rising trade tensions between China and the European Union (EU) are seen as changing the pricing dynamics in Europe. Beijing and its carmakers have offered to introduce a system of voluntary price controls to replace the EU tariffs, but it remains unclear whether Brussels would accept this minimum pricing approach. People close to discussions said Beijing offered a €35,000 minimum regardless of the model in earlier negotiations. At that level, cheaper cars such as those offered by BYD and Leapmotor would be excluded from the market. But even if the price cuts are more limited in Europe, analysts say consumers will probably be drawn to Chinese offerings due to the high quality of their technology and software. BYD's Li recently told Belgian media, for example, that the Chinese group plans to bring its superfast charging technology to Europe within the next 12 months. While the price war in China is considered destructive for the domestic car industries in the UK and Europe, greater competition may help boost vehicle demand, which is still below pre-pandemic levels. 'Increasing levels of competition and some new standout performers now seen in our market will likely create wider pricing pressures that will be good for car buyers in the short term and which will hopefully also fuel further innovation and market growth in the midterm,' said Ian Plummer, commercial director at Auto Trader. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
Irish Times
17 hours ago
- Irish Times
Department of Transport officials warned Minister Seán Canney not to attend Tesla event
Department of Transport officials warned Minister of State Seán Canney not to attend a Tesla event earlier this year marking the car manufacturer's 10,000th sale in Ireland. The Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVIreland) office in the department told Mr Canney Ministers should not meet 'individual car manufacturers'. Instead, Tesla representatives met ZEVI officials in the department's offices on February 25th. The EV Industry Insights Forum event at the Tesla centre in Cork was due to have been held on February 25th, but was later moved to March 14th. READ MORE The invitation to Mr Canney, Independent TD and Minister of State at the Department of Transport, came from Melanie Naughton, Tesla country manager for Ireland, in February, shortly after he was appointed. Ms Naughton wrote to him on February 6th congratulating him on his appointment and inviting him to the event. The invitation came two weeks after Tesla chief executive Elon Musk made a gesture that some interpreted as a fascist salute at a rally celebrating President Donald Trump's second inauguration in January. Mr Musk last month left his role in the US department of government efficiency, which he had joined with the aim of slashing federal government funding. The invitation occurred two weeks before the 'Tesla takedown' movement began in the United States targeting garages selling Tesla cars. In her letter to Mr Canney, Ms Naughton said the milestone event would 'bring insights from industry leaders and innovators' to discuss progress to date and about accelerating the transition to electric vehicles. 'We would be delighted if you could give a short speech on your departmental priorities and ambitions for the electric vehicle sector as we celebrate this milestone,' she wrote. 'Tesla is committed to supporting Ireland's transition to sustainable energy and looks forward to collaborating with the Government to achieve our shared goals.' Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act show the invitation was sent by Mr Canney's office to the ZEVIreland section of the Department of Transport. In response, ZEVIreland advised that no Minister should meet 'individual car manufacturers'. The minutes of the meeting suggest there was an overview of Tesla Ireland and discussions related to vehicle demand and charging infrastructure. ZEVI provided a short overview of its national road EV charging plan and the national road grant scheme. Mr Canney's office did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.
