SUVs are more dangerous to pedestrians than smaller vehicles, say one third of Brits

• 32% think SUVs are a greater threat to cyclists than smaller vehicles

• 21% think SUVs should be banned from areas with high footfall, such as city centres

• 32% support increasing Vehicle Excise Duty on SUVs

One third of Brits think SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicles) are more dangerous to pedestrians than smaller vehicles.

The research[i], carried out by the UK’s leading road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, found that 32 percent of respondents thought that the plus-sized vehicles posed a more significant road safety threat to pedestrians.

One in three – 33 percent - think SUVs are a greater threat to cyclists than smaller vehicles.

The survey, of 1,048 UK motorists shows that pedestrians, cyclists and people in smaller vehicles feel threatened by SUVs.

More than half (52%) think the occupants of an SUV are safer than those in smaller vehicles - an opinion that is backed up by Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme) ratings which bill some of them as the safest family cars.

One fifth (21%) think SUVs should be banned from areas with high footfall, such as city centres.

While no council is yet to ban the vehicles, some have started to introduce increased parking fees, including Cardiff which has approved the principle of an additional charge for residential parking permits for vehicles weighing over 2.4 tonnes.[ii]

The plan is aimed at cutting congestion and pollution and encouraging people to walk, cycle or use public transport when travelling in and around the city.

In 2024, Paris tripled its parking charges for heavier cars after the mayor argued that SUVs are dangerous and bad for the environment.[iii]

One third of those polled (32%) support increasing Vehicle Excise Duty on SUVs, given the greater wear and tear on the roads and higher levels of emissions coming from these vehicles.

Research by Imperial College London in 2025 concluded that in the case of a crash, a pedestrian or cyclist hit by an SUV is more likely to be severely injured or killed than if they were hit by a smaller car.[iv]

The odds of being killed increased by 44 percent for adults, and by 82 percent for children and cyclists due to the higher front end of an SUV, meaning that the victim is more likely to be thrown into the road instead of being carried on the vehicle’s hood.

Despite the risks, sales of SUVs show no signs of waning; as of 2023, SUVs made up 48 percent of new car sales globally, up from 15 percent in 2010.[v]

In addition vehicle sizes are ballooning; Autocar magazine compared the average weight of new cars in its weekly road tests in 2016 and 2023 and found an increase from 1,553kg to 1,947kg – a rise of nearly 400kg.[vi]

Modern SUVs often exceed the standard UK parking space size of 2.4m x 4.8m, which has remained largely unchanged since the 1970s.[vii]

IAM RoadSmart Policy and Standards Director Nicholas Lyes said: “Huge cars were once associated with the USA, but car spreading is alive and well in the UK.

“Many drivers will have noticed that fitting a car into a space has become tighter compared to 20 years ago and may also hold their breath if they see a large oncoming SUV on a narrow country road. Despite the fact that these cars are growing, both in size and popularity, our roads and parking spaces are not significantly wider and something needs to give.

“Arguably, it is not the vehicle most at play but the driver who should be in control and have a greater spatial understanding of their vehicle. By doing so, this should foster more careful driving, particularly on rural roads and in busy urban environments.

“However, with demand for bigger cars showing no sign of abating, we believe improvements to vehicle design such as mandating bumpers and hoods from materials that reduce injury severity, and pedestrian automatic emergency breaking. External airbags should also be explored to mitigate against the size and weight of the vehicle.

“While cities may opt for charges or hiking parking fees to discourage use, our view is that safer vehicle design and enhanced driver education can make the biggest difference.”