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Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- Irish Times
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.
The Independent
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Independent
Land Rovers and Jeeps growing bonnet heights ‘a clear threat to children'
A height limit on car bonnets is necessary due to the increasing danger posed by SUVs, a new report has found, noting the increased risk to children. Transport & Environment (T&E) revealed that UK drivers purchase a disproportionately high number of new cars with elevated bonnets compared to the European Union (EU). The study, encompassing the UK, EU, and Norway, advocates for a ban on new vehicles with bonnet heights exceeding 85cm, to be implemented in 2035, allowing manufacturers time to adapt. The research indicated that the average bonnet height of new cars sold in the UK, EU, and Norway has risen from 76.9cm in 2010 to 83.8cm in 2024, an average increase of half a centimetre annually. This trend aligns with the surge in SUV sales, which accounted for a third of all new car registrations in the UK last year, compared to approximately 12 per cent a decade prior. SUVs are typically taller, wider, and heavier than traditional cars, and less fuel-efficient. Many drivers prefer their elevated seating position. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Jeep account for all sales of vehicles in the UK, EU and Norway with bonnets exceeding one metre. The UK accounted for 39 per cent of these transactions, despite just 15 per cent of sales of all vehicles being made in the country. T&E accused JLR and Jeep of 'trading on the intimidation that comes with high-fronted vehicles (and) ignoring their related dangers'. Researchers found that in crashes, vehicles with high bonnets were more likely to strike the heads of children and adults' vital organs. Hitting pedestrians above their centre of gravity meant the person was more likely to be knocked under the car rather than pushed to the side, the report noted. Tests by Loughborough University School of Design found that drivers in the highest fronted vehicles could not see children as old as nine standing in front. The report stated: 'The rise in high-fronted SUVs poses a clear and growing threat to public safety, especially for children. 'With no benefit to society and mounting evidence of harm, it's time for lawmakers at all levels to act. 'Capping bonnet height is a simple, effective step to protect all road users and curb the spread of oversized vehicles. 'It is neither safe nor credible to let bonnet height continue rising.' Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: 'Over the past decade the number of pedestrians hurt or killed on the roads has fallen, but only at around half the rate of car occupants. 'It is incumbent on carmakers to ensure they pay enough attention to those around a vehicle as to those within it, and that will include making assessments about car heights and weights.' Mike Hawes, chief executive of industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: 'Modern cars are designed with the safety of pedestrians and other road users front of mind, packed with advanced safety features from vehicle shape and crumple zones to intelligent emergency braking and proximity warning systems. 'Such innovation helps ensure the very latest models are increasingly safe for everyone on the road and indeed, while manufacturers respond to market tastes and preferences, they ensure that all cars – irrespective of size and body type – meet all relevant regulations.' A JLR spokesperson said: 'JLR is committed to the highest safety standards and our vehicles are made with the strictest adherence to safety requirements. 'We continually invest in safety and advanced technology features, which, among other things, include pedestrian detection, 3D surround camera systems and autonomous emergency braking.' Jeep was approached for a comment.
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
SUVs are a 'growing threat to public safety' and drivers can't see children as old as nine directly in front of them
The ever-increasing height of bonnets on new cars sold in the UK has become a 'clear and growing threat to public safety, especially for children,' a new report published on Wednesday claims. The dramatic rise in popularity of SUVs has been blamed for triggering a half centimetre average increase in height of bonnets on new models sold each year. The higher front of cars significantly increases the death rate when pedestrians are struck, as vulnerable road users are more likely to be pulled under a moving vehicle rather than bounce off them, it said. The analysis also suggested that drivers in the tallest SUV models can no longer see a child as old as nine at all when they are standing directly in front of the vehicle. Transport & Environment, the green campaign group behind the study that has been lobbying for demise of SUVs for years, says the UK has an especially large number of cars with the tallest bonnets. It attributes this to a high volume of sales of Land Rovers, which - along with Jeep - only sells vehicles with bonnet heights of over a metre. Its researchers accused these car firms of 'trading on the intimidation that comes with high-fronted vehicles [and] ignoring their related dangers'. T&E's analysis of the new car market found that the average bonnet height of a passenger car sold in the UK has jumped from 77cm in 2010 to 84cm in 2024 The report pointed at Jaguar Land Rover and Jeep for only selling cars with bonnet heights over a metre tall. However, JLR has hit back saying its vehicles use the latest technology designed specifically to mitigate collisions with pedestrians and vulnerable road users A Jaguar Land Rover spokesperson responded to T&E's claims telling This is Money: 'JLR is committed to the highest safety standards and our vehicles are made with the strictest adherence to safety requirements. 'We continually invest in safety and advanced technology features – which, amongst other things, include pedestrian detection, 3D surround camera systems, and autonomous emergency braking (AEB).' While Land Rover and Jeep were singled out in the report, both have traditionally only sold 4X4 vehicles for years as part of their heritage. The report said that in a collision with a pedestrian, a high-bonneted SUV is more likely to strike the vital organs in the core of an adult's body - and the head of a child. When colliding with a pedestrian above their mid-section and higher than their centre of gravity, there is an elevated likelihood that they are knocked forward and down - and then ran over by the same car that's hit them. In contrast, vehicles with lower bonnets tend to collide with pedestrians' legs, resulting in them falling onto the vehicle or being deflected to one side and away from secondary danger. The think tank said cars with higher front ends (like the Land Rover Defender pictured) are more likely to hit a pedestrian and then drag them underneath the moving vehicle, increasing the risk of death The environmental think tank's analysis of the new car market found that the average bonnet height of a passenger car sold in the UK has jumped from 77cm in 2010 to 84cm in 2024. A study conducted by Loughborough University School of Design on behalf of the campaign group tested the visibility of children from high-fronted cars. It found that a driver of a Ram TRX pick-up truck was unable to see children aged up to nine (1.36m tall on average) who were standing directly in front, while a Land Rover Defender driver could not see children aged up to four and a half (1.1m tall on average. Popularity of SUVs to blame, says T&E This increase in car bonnet heights correlates with a huge surge in SUV demand, with jacked-up 4X4-type models representing more than half (56 per cent) of all new cars registered in Europe last year - up from just 12 per cent in 2010. Last year, SUVs overtook superminis for the first time in history to become the nation's favourite new car body type, representing 33 per cent of all registrations. A decade earlier, SUVs accounted for just 12 per cent of new cars entering Britain's roads. A recent study suggested that Britons are increasingly being pushed into choosing these larger vehicles which are now dominating manufacturer showrooms, making up more than half of all car options on sale in the UK. There are 193 different SUV and 'crossover' (conventional hatchbacks with increased ride height) variations across the 35 most popular brands sold in the UK in 2025, a report by CarGurus found. This is an uplift of 543 per cent compared to 2000 when just 35 SUV variants were available, the comprehensive review of the new car market has revealed. The advocacy group has already criticised the automotive sector's shift to SUVs, describing it as 'carspreading' and 'autobesity'. It said the industry has allowed newer vehicles to become much larger in scale to seem more appealing to drivers but to the detriment of vulnerable road users - including cyclists - who are more likely to suffer injury if hit buy one. 'The intention is clear: [car] companies are trading on the intimidation that comes with high-fronted vehicles, ignoring their related dangers,' the report said. 'The rise in high-fronted SUVs poses a clear and growing threat to public safety, especially for children. 'With no benefit to society, it's time for lawmakers at all levels to act,' it concluded. There is no legal limit to bonnet height in the UK and Europe. However, T&E called on policymakers to introduce one for 2035, restricting them to selling cars with front ends no taller than 85cm. 'A child is killed every day on our roads, yet cars are being made so large that children are invisible from the driver's seat. How is that acceptable?' said Barbara Stoll, senior director of T&E's Clean Cities campaign. 'Thankfully, more and more city leaders are pushing back against carspreading, standing up for what citizens actually want – safe, green streets without monster vehicles.' Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: 'Over the past decade the number of pedestrians hurt or killed on the roads has fallen, but only at around half the rate of car occupants. 'It is incumbent on carmakers to ensure they pay enough attention to those around a vehicle as to those within it, and that will include making assessments about car heights and weights.' Backlash against SUVs intensifies Paris and Lyon in France, and Aachen in Germany, are among the cities that charge bigger cars more to park. In the UK, councils in Cardiff, Bristol, Oxford and Haringey in London are looking into similar measures and last week the London assembly called for limits on bonnet height. Last week, Sir Sadiq Khan was urged to seek higher taxes and parking fees for SUVs. A report by the IEA calculated that if SUVs were a country, they would be the world's fifth largest emitter of carbon dioxide behind China, USA, India and Russia Parisians voted last year to muscle SUVs off the French capital's streets by making them three times more expensive to park, and called on London to follow suit Wide load: Transport & Environment previously accused supersized SUVs of leaving less room for other road users as well as being too big for standard parking bays London Assembly Members agreed a motion calling on the mayor to take action because of fears that the increasing size of cars is damaging road surfaces, causing congestion and putting other road users at greater risk of death and severe injury. The London Assembly called on Sir Sadiq to ask the Treasury to amend vehicle excise duty to include a tax based on vehicle weight. It also wants the mayor to request that councils in the capital consider charging more for parking larger cars, and to call on the Department for Transport to introduce tighter limits on the size and bonnet height of passenger vehicles. The motion was agreed by 14 votes in favour and eight votes against. The International Energy Agency recorded record global SUV sales in 2024 and record SUV CO2 emissions of one billion tonnes. If SUVs were a country, they would rank as the fifth most polluting in the world, the IEA said.
The Independent
14 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Independent
Call to cap car bonnet heights as SUVs present ‘growing threat to public safety'
A limit on the height of car bonnets is needed as SUVs present a 'clear and growing threat to public safety', according to a new report. The think tank Transport & Environment (T&E) said UK drivers bought a disproportionately large amount of new cars with high bonnets compared with the European Union (EU). The study, which covered the UK, EU and Norway, called for the introduction of a ban on new vehicles with a bonnet height exceeding 85cm. Under the proposal, the restriction would be implemented in 2035 to give manufacturers time to adjust. The study found that the average bonnet height of new cars sold in the UK, EU and Norway had risen from 76.9cm in 2010 to 83.8cm in 2024. That was an average increase of half-a-centimetre each year. This coincided with the rapid growth of SUV sales. They accounted for a third of all new car registrations in the UK last year, compared with some 12% a decade earlier. SUVs are generally taller, wider and heavier than traditional cars, and less fuel-efficient. Many drivers favour their higher seating position. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Jeep account for all sales of vehicles in the UK, EU and Norway with bonnets exceeding one metre. The UK accounted for 39% of these transactions, despite just 15% of sales of all vehicles being made in the country. T&E accused JLR and Jeep of 'trading on the intimidation that comes with high-fronted vehicles (and) ignoring their related dangers'. Researchers found that in crashes, vehicles with high bonnets were more likely to strike the heads of children and adults' vital organs. Hitting pedestrians above their centre of gravity meant the person was more likely to be knocked under the car rather than pushed to the side, the report noted. Tests by Loughborough University School of Design found that drivers in the highest fronted vehicles could not see children as old as nine standing in front. The report stated: 'The rise in high-fronted SUVs poses a clear and growing threat to public safety, especially for children. 'With no benefit to society and mounting evidence of harm, it's time for lawmakers at all levels to act. 'Capping bonnet height is a simple, effective step to protect all road users and curb the spread of oversized vehicles. 'It is neither safe nor credible to let bonnet height continue rising.' JLR and Jeep were approached for a comment. Sadiq Khan to seek higher taxes and parking fees for SUVs.
Forbes
16 hours ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
EU Must Cap SUV Hood Heights Urges Report. Crash Test Body Says Not As Simple As That
Child walks in front of SUV in London. The increasing hood heights of new cars in Europe pose a threat to public safety, according to the advocacy group Transport & Environment (T&E). However, in response, crash-testing organization EuroNCAP, or New Car Assessment Program, says 'frontal design and reduction in aggressivity is more important than a single metric.' Higher fronts on cars—especially SUVs, which now account for more than half of the European new car market—significantly increase the death rate when pedestrians and cyclists are struck, says a report issued today by T&E. 'The rise in high-fronted SUVs poses a clear and growing threat to public safety, especially for children,' states the report. 'With no benefit to society, it's time for lawmakers at all levels to act.' T&E found that the average hood height— or Bonnet Leading Edge, BLE—of new cars sold in Europe rose from 77cm in 2010 to 84cm in 2024. Illustrations in the report show that drivers in the tallest cars could not see children as old as nine when they were directly in front of the vehicles. Jeep and Land Rover SUVs have average hood heights over 100cm. T&E's report accused such auto companies of 'trading on the intimidation that comes with high-fronted vehicles [and] ignoring their related dangers.' The organization is calling on the EU to cap hood heights at 85cm by 2035. The higher the hood, the bigger the blind spot: More high-fronted SUVs would mean more children ... More drivers don't see, says T&E. 'EuroNCAP is not against the 85cm BLE concept,' says EuroNCAP's director of strategic development Matthew Avery. However, he stresses that capping just hood height wasn't a panacea. 'Bonnet Leading Edge is one of the attributes that can be used to measure pedestrian safety, but geometry, homogeneity of features, and stiffness are all important,' he says. 'Larger cars with taller [hoods] are not necessarily less safe than smaller ones with lower [hoods]. We have many cases where the SUV is better for pedestrians than the small car. Research and testing tells us that frontal design and reduction in aggressivity is more important than a single metric.' In crashes, says T&E's report, SUVs are more likely to strike the vital organs in the core of adults' bodies and the heads of children. Hitting pedestrians above their center of gravity means they are more likely to be knocked forward and down and then be driven over. Cars with lower hood heights tend to hit pedestrians' legs, giving them a greater chance of being deflected to the side. Higher bonnets more often knock pedestrians under the vehicle rather than deflect them, says T&E. Auto manufacturers claim they are committed to high safety standards, and most new vehicles are now equipped with advanced features, including pedestrian and cyclist detection technologies and autonomous emergency braking (AEB). The T&E report says AEB can prevent some crashes but that 'a car with a good AEB system and a [hood] height between 60cm and 75cm will always be safer than a [taller] vehicle with the same AEB.' T&E commissioned Loughborough University School of Design to test the visibility of children from tall cars. The research found that a driver of a Ram TRX was unable to see children aged up to nine who were standing directly in front, while a driver of a Land Rover Defender could not see children aged up to four and a half. T&E also called out the often aggressive marketing slogans used in car advertising. RAM advertises some of its vehicles as 'Built to impress, known to intimidate.' 'The intention is clear,' says T&E. 'Such companies are trading on the intimidation that comes with high-fronted vehicles, ignoring their related dangers.'
