Should We Penalise SUV Drivers?
Discussion
I hate SUVs but, no, that would just be the start.
What we should do - at risk of sounding like a stuck record - is abolish VED in its current form and add a supplement to the cost of a litre of fuel so there's a direct correlation between the amount of fuel someone burns (pollution they cause) and the extent to which they're punished. The current system is grossly unfair to people like me who've reduced their car use to the bare minimum but are still paying the same to tax our car while also being bent over by rail fares that we're paying because we're not using our car. Makes me think "sod it, might as well just drive".
What we should do - at risk of sounding like a stuck record - is abolish VED in its current form and add a supplement to the cost of a litre of fuel so there's a direct correlation between the amount of fuel someone burns (pollution they cause) and the extent to which they're punished. The current system is grossly unfair to people like me who've reduced their car use to the bare minimum but are still paying the same to tax our car while also being bent over by rail fares that we're paying because we're not using our car. Makes me think "sod it, might as well just drive".
I disagree with state coercion more than anything so would not waste the money and energy on a vengeful campaign against people who buy slightly bigger vehicles.
With it being an article in the Guardian it's worth noting that some of the most popular fully electric vehicles are amongst the biggest and heaviest of all the cars on the road.
Personally I much prefer the normal '3 box' car shape to the watermelon shape of your typical SUV. I also prefer the lower ride height and the resultant reclined driving position. I drove a brand new X1 the other day and it had a driving position not massively unlike a classic MINI. You push down on the pedals from above and your back is very straight and your bum very high and your knees bent.
People should buy fewer SUVs but I would never use the state to dictate peoples choice of transportation - it is massively the case already, just not specifically targeted at SUV drivers.
With it being an article in the Guardian it's worth noting that some of the most popular fully electric vehicles are amongst the biggest and heaviest of all the cars on the road.
Personally I much prefer the normal '3 box' car shape to the watermelon shape of your typical SUV. I also prefer the lower ride height and the resultant reclined driving position. I drove a brand new X1 the other day and it had a driving position not massively unlike a classic MINI. You push down on the pedals from above and your back is very straight and your bum very high and your knees bent.
People should buy fewer SUVs but I would never use the state to dictate peoples choice of transportation - it is massively the case already, just not specifically targeted at SUV drivers.
The article is interesting. While it is (I think) common knowledge that SUVs are more dangerous to pedestrians than cars - the US figure of EIGHT times more dangerous is pretty staggering.
I think the quote "Fritz Gahagan, a former marketing consultant for tobacco, could have been talking about ads for SUVs when he said: “The problem is how do you sell death … you do it with the great open spaces … the mountains, the open places, the lakes coming up to the shore. How could a whiff of a cigarette be of any harm in a situation like that?” is a beauty.
Should they be banned - of course not, but they should be discouraged, certainly.
I think the quote "Fritz Gahagan, a former marketing consultant for tobacco, could have been talking about ads for SUVs when he said: “The problem is how do you sell death … you do it with the great open spaces … the mountains, the open places, the lakes coming up to the shore. How could a whiff of a cigarette be of any harm in a situation like that?” is a beauty.
Should they be banned - of course not, but they should be discouraged, certainly.
I was on holiday in Lanzarote recently and I noticed there was a near absence of people driving SUVs. Virtually everyone drove a hatchback. Plus there were lots of French cars and Dacias on the road.
Get back to the UK and every other car is a Range Rover or German SUV. They look utterly rediculous on our small roads and squeezed into tiny parking spaces.
I wish it had never happened in the UK, it appears to be a combination of an automotive arms race to feel "safe" and that driving a big car portrays an image of doing well in life.
I would love to see them banned.
Get back to the UK and every other car is a Range Rover or German SUV. They look utterly rediculous on our small roads and squeezed into tiny parking spaces.
I wish it had never happened in the UK, it appears to be a combination of an automotive arms race to feel "safe" and that driving a big car portrays an image of doing well in life.
I would love to see them banned.
bad company said:
So much bingo in that article.A.J.M said:
How do you define it though?
If you're trying to do it for the sake of pedestrian safety, I guess you somehow quantify which element(s) of the SUV body-shape actually cause the increase in risk and define it through them. For example if it's the height of the bonnet line which increases danger to pedestrians, you tax based on the height of the bonnet line. Seems unnecessarily complex though and I'm not convinced it would change buying habits significantly anyway.
What is actually wrong with a SUV. Other than the politics of envy?
They clearly do a job that most people need them to do, the size is important for families carry stuff, the high up driving position gives better visibility, they can be relatively economic and certainly more so that a sports saloon like an M3. I reality they are pretty much the only car you need.
That they are 8 times more dangerous would have to be analysed a fair but closer. I suspect that's a bit of 1 dimensional analysis going on there. And in the US the SUV is significantly more purchased than any where ( if you include pick ups) so the chances of being hit by one are much higher.
We don't need reactionary bulls
t from climate alarmists. The world is boiling apparently! 
They clearly do a job that most people need them to do, the size is important for families carry stuff, the high up driving position gives better visibility, they can be relatively economic and certainly more so that a sports saloon like an M3. I reality they are pretty much the only car you need.
That they are 8 times more dangerous would have to be analysed a fair but closer. I suspect that's a bit of 1 dimensional analysis going on there. And in the US the SUV is significantly more purchased than any where ( if you include pick ups) so the chances of being hit by one are much higher.
We don't need reactionary bulls
t from climate alarmists. The world is boiling apparently! Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff